Program-first win over Winchester, 11-7
THE MELROSE High girl’s lacrosse team earned an impressive 11-7 win over Winchester last week, a first for the program. (photo by Raj Das edphotos.com)
By JENNIFER GENTILE
MELROSE—The Melrose High girl’s lacrosse team pulled off a historic win over Winchester, a program-first for Melrose, when they traveled to Winchester on April 9 and prevailed in an exciting 11-17 victory.
Melrose (2-1) had one of their most solid showings in recent years, with a spread-out offensive and sharp defense, particularly from senior captain goalie Sofia Hitchman.
“This was a beautiful win,” says new head coach Alicia Geiter. “I believe it was the first ever in program history, which is huge for the girls, as they’ve made such great efforts to stay disciplined and composed.”
Melrose took an early lead with some quick goals, but Winchester was relentless in their effort to catch up. “It was back and forth, and every goal was important. Talk about high stress!” says Geiter. “I commend the Winchester girls and how hard they fought, but our early lead really paved the way for us to secure that win.”
Melrose benefitted from six different scorers, with Jill Frawley officially leading the pack. Notes the coach, “The unselfish nature of our attack really shows when we can get that many girls a chance to score.”
Melrose goalie Sofia Hitchman had a very strong 14 saves at the net to help Melrose secure the historic win. “Sophia is our anchor, she racked up 14 saves and I was extremely proud her and of our defense,” says Geiter.
One of the key players that turned defense up a notch was junior Alex Leeman. Says her coach, “Alex came up with huge stops at the right time and is a caused turn over queen.”
Melrose did the job with ground balls, showing a lot of hustle on the field, but the coach contends it’s something they’d like to work on. “Ground balls are the little thing that no matter how good or what level you are, you will always need to work on.”
Melrose is on a well-deserved break until play picks up after April school break. They next host Wakefield on Wednesday, April 24th in what will be their season opener at Fred Green Field at 4:15. As it is their first ML Freedom game, it could signal where they will fall a battle for a league title this spring. Of the many takeaways from the Winchester win, one is that a long road remains ahead.
“The girls know they can compete with a historically talented team such as Winchester,” says the coach. “They proved it to not only themselves but the league. Everything sends a message whether it’s good or bad. This was an amazing win that the girls deserve however this is not the end all be all to our season. We will not hang our hats on this win and call it a day.”
