By MANALE ZOUHIR AND AREFIN MOHIUDDIN
The school year is almost over, but the girls lacrosse team continued to persevere through the last stretch of their season. The team preserved all throughout their season and ended with a record of 3-11 but also with a bond that created many new friendships.
The team had shown tremendous improvement since the first game as varsity coach Jessica Prickitt stated that “[she has] definitely seen the team improve throughout this season. We are communicating more and working much better as a cohesive unit and we’re playing smarter.” The team had always been a team of great communication, according to the team members of both varsity and JV as senior Danielle Aguinaldo stated that “[the team] communicates on the field much better during games.”
Along with communication, the lacrosse team had several great qualities that one would not find in every team. Prickitt produly expressed that “[the team] displays sportsmanship and class and [she considers] this a non-negotiable quality for the team, but they already do this on their own.” Even when a team was not playing fairly and it may have been challenging, they stuck to these standards as senior goalie Tina Ascolillo expressed that “[the team has] a lot of girls with amazing potential.”
Surprisingly, lacrosse is a fairly new sport to Malden High School. Despite being new, it doesn’t matter “how young the sport is because it’s attracted a lot of girls” stated Aguinaldo. Lacrosse is sticking to its reputation for dedicated players, both on and off the field.
The theme of leadership was recurring in both the JV and varsity teams. From a coach’s perspective, Prickitt expressed that “the overall leadership qualities that the girls have and their commitment is such an asset to the team and [she sees] this in the younger girls as well and she is] excited to see them mature as they become leaders.” JV player and sophomore Ajla Talic stated that “major strengths this year are teamwork and the skills players have helped the team develop.” Along with their skill sets, Ascolillo also expressed that the team has a strong “bond as a team, as friends, and as a family.”
There have been several games this season and whether the team won or lost, they saw the games as a way to learn and improve. On Tuesday, May 7, 2013, the varsity team played against Revere winning the game with scores from senior Blue and Gold member Catherine Poirier, and seniors Stevie Klein, Amanda Ramsey, Joyce Ly, and junior Winnie Chen. On Monday, May 13, 2013, both the JV and varsity teams played against Melrose at Pine Banks, which was their last home game of the season.
Though the spring season is over, it didn’t make a difference to the morale of the team. They were truly dedicated, and continued to put forth all the effort possible. With a team like this, they had finished the year off strong. According to Aguinaldo, “Everyone is such a unique character and they make every practice [and] game so interesting.”
