THE SENIORS led Lynnfield field hockey to a 9-7-5 season and two victories in the state tournament. Pictured from left to right is Ally Orlofski, Jordan Lavey, Lauren St. Andre, Georgia Milne, Ella Cammarata, Lauren Grava, Anna Kaminski, Jacqui Carbone, Alyssa Calvani, Ava Tardito, Julia Smedira, Chloe Thomas and Catherine Sweeney. (File Photo)
By STEPHEN MARTELLUCCI
LYNNFIELD — It was another successful season for the Lynnfield High field hockey team this fall. They ended up qualifying for the Division 4 state tournament beating North Brookfield, 6-1, in the first round and Georgetown, 4-1, in the second round.
They lost at Manchester-Essex, 1-0, in the round of eight game to finish 9-7-5.
In the Cape Ann League, the Pioneers finished in third place in the CAL Kinney Division behind Pentucket and Triton with a 6-4-4 league record.
“We knew coming into the season that we had a special team, composed of primarily seniors,” said Pioneers head coach Samantha Pindara, who just complete her second year with the team. “When we entered this season, everyone was on the same page from the first day. When the team showed up in great shape, clearly having worked hard over the summer and ready to hit the ground running, they did.
“Our entire season was an upward trend, finding success early and learning from every play and every game to improve for the next one. We went 0-2-1 at the start of the season, so one of our goals was coming back stronger and we did. The second time we saw those three teams we finished 1-0-2. Being able to battle back against tough teams is something this team did all season.
“Our non-league schedule was not easy but it prepared us for our league as well as state tournament games. We faced the eventual Division 1 state champions Andover, a Division 2 top 10 Danvers team, Beverly and Tyngsboro.”
Pindara was also pleased with the team’s performance in the states.
“As we entered the tournament, we were excited with our number seven seed and being able to host a first round and, eventual, second round game. We came out strong against both North Brookfield and Georgetown.
“The exciting part about the tournament is facing teams we do not know much about, but we played our game and focused on our goals and were successful against a strong and fast North Brookfield team. Facing Georgetown in the round of 16 was a little different. We knew this team having played them once in league during the regular season, so we knew we were going to need to fight for this win. Again, the team came out strong, focused on maintaining possession, putting the ball in the back of the net and came out with a win.
“In the quarter finals we traveled to Manchester Essex, another CAL team. This game was going to be a battle and we showed up to play. Although the final score was not in our favor, I could not have been more proud of the team, their game-play and composure.”
Lynnfield will lose 13 seniors to graduation: Alyssa Calvani, Ella Cammarata, Jacqui Carbone, Lauren Grava, Anna Kaminski, Jordan Lavey, Georgia Milne, Ally Orlofski, Ava Tardito, Julia Smedira, Lauren St. Andre, Catherine Sweeney and Chloe Thomas.
Carbone, a defenseman, was a CAL First-Team All-Star while Orlofski, a midfielder, was a CAL Second-Team All-Star. Kaminski, who was a co-captain with Carbone, led the team in goals with 18.
“This group of seniors has been a staple in the program since their freshman year having many achievements including earning the Division 2 North Title in 2019,” pointed out Pindara.
The Pioneers will have five veterans return next year, Julia Carbone, Ava Marotta, Maddie Mastrangelo, Charlotte Radulski and Lana Sutera.
Julia Carbone, a junior, was a CAL Second-Team All-Star as she led the team in assists with 14 and was second behind Kaminski in goals with nine. Radulski will be in her second year in net next fall as she had an 83 percent save percentage this year. She allowed an average of 1.6 goals per game.
Marotta, who was a CAL First-Team All-Star last year as a sophomore, was second this year in assists with eight.
