The season so far is looking bright for the Malden High Boys Lacrosse team. The team’s current record is 8 wins and 5 losses. The 8 wins for the team is a school record and they still have five more games to play. The team’s current goal is to make it to states and they only need one more win to accomplish this. If the team makes it to states it will be the first time in the schools history.
The lacrosse team didn’t start the season well however, but this shows the determination and the tenacity that these current players have. Despite losing their first two games, they bounced back with a four-game win streak and showed that they have the talent and the willpower to overcome any challenge that comes their way. As described by both Coach Smith and Copithorne respectively, this group of players have the “determination” and “resilience” to succeed and create history.
Two notable games to comment upon that showed this team’s class was their 7-6 victory against Revere and their victory against Saugus in double overtime. The victory against Revere was impressive because for the past couple years they haven’t beat them and the games weren’t at all very competitive, however they managed a comeback in the second-half that ended with them victorious. Every single game of the season, win or loss, this team showed they had the mentality to not be discouraged with a loss. Throughout the season they have consistently improved on the aspects of their game which were not the best, and this is shown through their impressive record.
So far the season has been led by the team’s group of captains, Hasnat Moughal, Joey Costa, and Zach Ruffo, but the team as a whole is responsible for their success. These players have stood out as leaders and they have all improved from last season. One player that has had tremendous growth this season is the team’s goalie, Hasnat Moughal. Hasnat was essential this season because in tight games they played, he pulled off amazing saves in order to keep Malden in the game. The defense has also been excellent this season with the work of Marc Giordano and the rest of the defensive line.
On the other side of the field, the offense has been led by captains, Joey Costa and Zach Ruffo. Costa and Ruffo has been incredible in offense this season and as described by teammate Hasnat Moughal “Zach and Joey run the offense throughout the games and keep everyone up to speed in order to do what’s necessary to score, however there are a lot of people who have standed out throughout the season and they all have their part into the team’s victories and what the program is today.”
The team had to overcome many challenges on the way to potentially reaching states, one of them being that they do not have a lot of players on the varsity team. In order to overcome this however, Coach Smith and Copithorne have used much more youth than in the past and perhaps this has led to their success this season. Coach Smith described the team as “a core group of dedicated players who work hard everyday”, however “the challenge has been to get everyone to be that dedicated.”
As a whole the season is looking bright for the boys lacrosse team. They only require one more win to qualify for states and with five more games to play, it is almost certain that the team will make it to states for the first time in their history. With the current roster the team has, both new and experienced, the team certainly have what it takes to create Malden Lacrosse history and be successful in states.
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