Published September 4, 2019

By STEPHEN MARTELLUCCI

LYNNFIELD — Last season was a memorable one for the Lynnfield High field hockey team as they reached the Division 2 North semifinals before losing 2-1 in double overtime to Watertown.

The Pioneers ended up going 16-4-1 overall with that defeat.

Lynnfield lost 13 seniors from that team to graduation including Cape Ann League First-Team All-Stars, Ashley and Brianna Barrett. They also lost their goalie, Emily Dickey.

When training camp opened on Aug. 22, head coach Mamie Reardon only had four returning starters back from last year.

Three of those starters are this year’s senior tri-captains, Carolyn Garofoli, Lily Rothwell and Grace MacDonald.

CAPTAIN CAROLYN GAROFOLI was a CAL First Team All-Star as a junior last year. (File Photo)

Garofoli, a center back, was a CAL First-Team All-Star last year. Rothwell, a left-center, was on the CAL Second Team All-Stars the past two seasons.

Rothwell tied Ashley Barrett in team-high in points with 33 as she had 18 goals and 15 assists.

The fourth Pioneer back is junior right winger Maddie Murphy.

Several newcomers this season were on the Lynnfield junior varsity squad last fall. Those players are Madison Angelo (junior, forward), Jeanne Carpenter (junior, defenseman), Maddie Cook (junior, midfielder), Ella Gaudette (junior, midfielder), Grace Klonsky (junior, midfielder), Charlotte Mihalchik (junior, back) and Bella Scala (junior, forward).

Three players are battling for the goalie spot this preseason: Ava O’Brien (junior), Charlotte Radulski (freshman) and Riley Slaney (junior).

O’Brien and Slaney were both on the Pioneers’ junior varsity team last year.

The team has had a busy end of the summer with five scrimmages. They played Lexington, Wakefield, Swampscott and they also hosted Ipswich and Hamilton-Wenham in a play day featuring two mini-games.

“We have a very young team this year,” said Reardon, who is entering her 37th year at the helm. “We have some talent but it is inexperienced so I don’t know how we will do. We scored 15 goals in the preseason so that was good.”

Reardon feels that Masconomet, who won the CAL Kinney division title last year, will be the team to beat again this year. The Pioneers were 12-3-1 in the league last fall and came in second place in the CAL Kinney.

Lynnfield will play a 15-game regular season schedule and will open at Masco on Sept. 5 at 3:45 p.m. They then have their home opener on Sept. 9 as they face North Reading, also at 3:45 p.m.