Warriors return just five players from a year ago
SENIORS Kelsey Czarnota (#3) and Brianna Smith (#11) are two out of five returning players for the Warrior girls’ lacrosse team this spring. (Donna Larsson File Photo)
Published in the April 3, 2017 edition.
By DAN BYRNE
WAKEFIELD — The spring season is upon us and that means the gates of Landrigan Field will be opened once again to the sounds of lacrosse echoing around the trees.
For the Wakefield High Memorial varsity girls’ lacrosse team a new season awaits, full of exciting anticipation.
Head Coach Cara Luca knows last year’s success is in the past, and the Warriors continued success is contingent upon being able to work as a team.
A strong group of seniors return having help lead the team to a 13-6 overall record and 6-5 league record a year ago.
Coach Luca spoke about the prospects for the upcoming season.
“It’s a totally different team,” said Luca, in her ninth year. “I’m hoping we have as much success as we did last year. We lost 16 or 17 seniors last year and basically my whole entire backfield.”
Coach Luca is familiar with the process of building a winning team.
“We’re in a rebuilding year this year,” she said.
Although there will be many new faces out there, some of the key players from last year’s success have returned to make up the core of this year’s team.
“I still have Kelsey Czarnota, Julia Brown, Brianna Smith, Emily Ryan, and Megan Horrigan,” Luca said, “I have a strong offense. It’s just the defense we’re working on right now as a team, I need to rebuild.”
She has confidence in her offense, but she’s hoping the defense comes together quickly.
“That’s what I’m hoping,” she said. “I’m just getting to know all the girls that are new to varsity this year. I have 22 on varsity right now with a majority of them juniors and seniors.”
She called up two sophomores to help with depth.
“Brooke Lilley and Laura Keegan are the only two sophomores to help out on the defensive side.”
Early on this spring, as has been the case so many seasons before, seeing the field before the season starts has been a problem. Some nasty weather has made practicing outside undesirable.
“We saw the field twice during tryouts, that’s it,” Luca said. “We played in a jamboree, then we got on the field once when we scrimmaged Woburn. The girls all participated in the Meltdown in Woburn. It was good to get their agility going and some stick work in.”
Such little time outside gives the coaches little to go from before heading into games that count.
“When you play the jamborees and you play some scrimmages you see things and you know you have a lot to work on,” Coach Luca admitted.
Her philosophy is simple, “We just take it day by day.”
She knows the Middlesex League is always full of stiff competition, but there are some added variables this year.
“It’s very tough,” she said about her team’s league. “There are five new coaches in the Middlesex league this year. So it’s a whole new dynamic.”
Even with so many things to adjust to, Coach Luca knows the recipe for success is always the same.
“Right now, it’s how to get the team to cohesively work together. Our transitions is what’s the key right now,” she said. “Even though I have those five returning players, they haven’t played with the rest of them before. So my veteran players are trying to get used to the newcomers.”
Even the rules have changed as an added element for teams to adjust to, “There’s a new rule this year where we can kick the ball,” Coach Luca divulged.
Looking at the big picture, Coach Luca knows there are a variety of aspects that need to be conquered in order for the team to duplicate their success from last year.
“I’m not too worried about the ground balls,” She said. “I’m more worried about our transition and making the girls come together on the field.
“The five returning varsity players will help big time throughout the season,” Luca admitted, but she knows much of what becomes of this year’s team lies on how the new players adjust. “Hopefully they look up to them and learn the skills quickly. I keep telling them patience this season, patience.”
Wakefield was Gloucester to open up the season today in Gloucester, but that game has been changed to Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. at Landrigan Field due to a scheduled conflict with field availablity in Gloucester. So Wakefield’s first game will be tomorrow, weather permitting, at 5:30 p.m. against Revere at Landrigan Field.
