As spring begins to bloom, Malden High’s Girls’ Lacrosse team have begun warming up for the challenging season ahead of them. After spending weeks practicing, the girls will use their skills on the field on April 7th, playing their second game of the season and facing the Northeast Metro Tech Knights.
The girls put up a strong fight from the moment they stepped on to the field until the moment the whistle blew to signal the end of the fourth quarter. The team managed to maintain “good field defense” and had a number of saves from senior goalie Audrey Nguyen, claimed head coach Devon Pattershall.
While defense had been the team’s strongest aspect of the game, there were also notable improvements in offense that Pattershall has seen over the course of games and practices. From the “great offense positioning” and the shots that junior Nyla Pierre scored, it is clear the girls are “already improving just from their first game.”
Despite the defense that the girls put up, the Knights ended up sweeping the game with a final score of 13-6. Although they lost, the team remained resilient. Looking forward, they plan to focus on improving the team’s skill and cooperation to be able to win future games. Even with the “rough start,” junior captain Frankie Marenghi-Pellino believes that with time and practice, they could “win a few games.”
With the outcomes of the past few games, the team did not turn their focus towards claiming the championship of the Greater Boston League (GBL), but instead focused on honing their skills and strengthening the girls’ bonds. “It was very clear that this year will be focused on developing the team,” claimed junior Amelia Berliner.
While the majority of the team is “brand new players,” Pattershall has been impressed with the skills and “natural athleticism” that the girls have. She looks forward to growing these skills further to eventually be able to claim the GBL title in a couple years.
“It certainly is a building year for not just me, but everyone else on the team, but I know with more time and as the season continues to progress I’ll feel more confident in my skills, and everyone else will too,” shared junior captain Cat Nguyen.
Improvement is not all about skills though, as the coach and captains have highlighted the importance of having a strong mentality on the field. Pattershall praised captains Nguyen and Marenghi-Pellino for their ability to “promote a good mentality among the team” and foster a closer relationship between the girls.
Marenghi-Pellino emphasized her excitement to “just be a good teammate, leader, and help make sports fun for the girls,” while Nguyen voiced that “every girl has something to offer, and I want them to be able to know that!”
Although the team has not had a strong start, the girls are looking forward to strengthening their abilities and forming a connection to set them up for future wins.
“It’s pretty early in the season to predict anything, but I can tell that it’s going to be a great one,” concludes Nguyen.
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