Warriors rout Fisherwomen, 15-3, in opener
KELSEY CZARNOTA, a junior (middle), was a dominant force in the middle for the Warriors on Friday afternoon at Landrigan Field. Czarnota tallied six goals and assisted on four others as Wakefield won its season opener by a 15-3 score over Gloucester. (Donna Larsson Photo)
Published in the April 11, 2016 edition.
By DAN BYRNE
WAKEFIELD — Friday afternoon marked the return of the varsity girls’ lacrosse season for the Wakefield Memorial High School, as the Warriors hosted Gloucester in their opening game of the year at Landrigan Field.
The Warriors took a commanding lead early on as they dominated possession in the first half and continued to play well throughout the second half as the home team improved to 1-0 on the season with a 15-3 win to start the season.
The visitors could hardly get a stick of the ball, with Wakefield controlling nearly every face-off. Center Kelsey Czarnota was largely responsible for the Warriors ability to get possession as she claimed face-off after face-off. Czarnota was also the most active Warrior in the attacking zone, as she chipped with in six goals and four assists to lead the Warriors.
Czarnota did most of her passing early on, as she connected with Julianne Bourque for two assists in the first half. Bourque had the next most goals for Wakefield as she put four past the Gloucester goalie. Bourque also added two assists to go along with the quartet of goals.
Wakefield was in control throughout this game, as it held an 10-2 halftime lead.
In the second half, the teams switched sides but the momentum did not, with the Warriors piling on seven more goals to close out the win.
“(It was) A nice way to start the year,” Head Coach Cara Luca said following the team’s first victory. “We have improved in our transition and ball movement, it just came together today.”
The coach was encouraged by what she saw from her team in their first game saying, “The first couple minutes we had a few kinks to work out, just jitters, they worked it out though.
“When they communicate on the field, we’re good. When we communicate on defense they’re good. That’s something we need to continue to work on,” added Luca.
The coach admitted, that with a non-league opponent lined up to start the season, she didn’t know what to expect from the visitors.
“This was a surprise. I knew really nothing about them, but they’re Division 1 and we’re Division 1 now. So I think that’s why we picked them up.”
All in all, it was a fine way to start the season for the Warriors.
“For the most part, they all played well,” Luca said. “Offensively we were good today, hopefully we’ll take this win and move forward. We have to continue on and use this when we go against Reading.”
The coach looked ahead to the next game on Tuesday and speaking of the momentum her team gained from a standout first game.
“One of our goals is to beat the (teams in the Middlesex League) Liberty division,” Luca said. “Reading has always been a struggle for us so we need to change our mentality.”
The Warriors take on the Rockets tomorrow afternoon at 4 p.m. at Landrigan Field.
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At Landrigan Field
Gloucester………….2 1 — 3
WAKEFIELD…………10 5 — 15
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Goals
Gloucester — Not Available.
WAKEFIELD — Czarnota 6; Bourque 4; Smith 2; Messina, T. 1; Cusack 1, Vinciguerra 1.
Assists
Gloucester — Not Available
WAK— Czarnota 4; Bourque 2; Brown 2; Smith . 1; Messina 1; Vinciguerra 1.
Saves
WAK—White 2; Passacantilli 4. Glo, NA.
