SENIOR CAPTAIN Katherine Taylor scored four goals in Wakefield’s win over Arlington on Saturday morning. Taylor will lead the Warrior attack this year after scoring a program-record 54 goals during her All-Star junior season last year. (Dan Pawlowski Photo)
By DAN PAWLOWSKI
WAKEFIELD — The 2023 Wakefield High girls’ lacrosse team is ready to build on last year’s historic season.
The ’22 Warriors became the first team in program history to win a state tournament game after crushing Amherst-Pelham 14-1 in the Div. 2 preliminary round at their home, Landrigan Field.
Two All-Stars return from that team, which went 11-7 in the regular season: senior captain and attack Katherine Taylor and junior midfielder Juliana Spaulding.
Taylor, who set a program record with 54 goals while adding 14 assists last year, will lead the team with senior captain Molly Berinato. Bella Birchem (defense) is the only other senior on the roster this season.
“It’s a smaller group of seniors but all three have been great leaders to the younger athletes,” said head coach Cara Luca. “They’ve been helping them understand the game and answering any questions they might have.”
SENIOR CAPTAIN Molly Berinato played a great two-way game for the Warriors in their win over Arlington on Saturday, scoring a hat trick while defending well. (Dan Pawlowski Photo)
Wakefield is off to a 1-2 start, picking up their first win on Saturday morning at home, 13-6 over Arlington. As always, Wakefield started with tough matchups, falling to Beverly 16-3 on April 1 and Lexington 18-5 on April 4.
Taylor had four goals to lead the way in the win over the Spy Ponders while Berinato and junior Molly Forrest added three. Spaulding chipped in two.
“That was a big, Middlesex League win for us,” said Luca. “It was a different game for these girls. We worked on transition play during practice and they were able to transition the ball better down the field.”
Wakefield’s passing on such plays improved throughout the game, reaching a peak in the second half as they broke a 3-3 tie at halftime with three goals in the first three minutes, one from junior Corinne Dunlap and two from Forrest, whose impressive dodge from behind the net and quick finish in front made it 6-3.
After Arlington responded to make it 6-5 with 17:35 remaining, the Warriors scored six unanswered to essentially end it. Spaulding and Berinato each scored two in this span while Taylor had three.
JULIANA SPAULDING moves toward the net while Molly Forrest looks on. The two junior midfielders were all over the field for the Warriors in their win over Arlington on Saturday. Spaulding had two goals and an assist while Forrest had three goals and two assists. Both also played solid defense for the team. (Dan Pawlowski Photo)
“We had five different goal-scorers,” said Luca. “The girls are building their confidence and taking the ball to the net.”
Meanwhile, junior goalie Sofia Macaluso was solid throughout, collecting seven saves – multiple in big moments of the game to keep her team in front.
The Warrior defense played well too, including Forrest, Spaulding and Berinato who picked off multiple passes in the midfield along with a locked in defense with players like Birchem, junior Lea Carangelo, sophomores Madeline Taylor and Shea Suntken and freshman Emma Ickes all stepping up.
It was the complete, team game that stood out most to Luca, a theme the Warriors would like to continue as they work toward their season goals.
“We have a young squad this season,” said Luca. “Our goals include working on fundamentals and mastering them and working on team chemistry to be successful on the field in hopes of getting into the state tournament.”
WAKEFIELD had plenty of goals to celebrate in their 13-6 win over Arlington at Landrigan Field. Pictured, junior Kyleigh Formicola congratulates junior Corinne Dunlap after Dunlap’s goal 10 seconds into the second half broke a 3-3 tie and gave the Warriors the lead for good. (Dan Pawlowski Photo)
Wakefield will meet plenty more talented opponents throughout the season, including 2-0 Woburn on the road, Wednesday at 4 p.m., but their first two games against the attack-minded Panthers and Minutemen was a good test for the team to see what they need to improve on, especially on the defensive end of the field.
“Ball control and defense is what we have been working on recently,” said Luca. “Teaching the younger athletes about playing zone and how it can be beneficial on defense and working on their confidence. We have a lot of talent, it’s just about team building now.”
After their trip to Woburn, the Warriors will host non-league Lynnfield next Monday at 10 a.m.
