An Exciting Outlook on Girl’s Lacrosse

Clara+Pavuk+in+white+with+the+ball

Clara Pavuk in white with the ball

Abigail Armlin, Sports Writer

Preseason opened for the girls lacrosse team on the 28th of March and the future looks bright. Last season the girls put on a good run with advancing to the Maine semi-finals, but losing to the future state champs, Yarmouth. Other than the loss of six graduating seniors, the team’s starting lineup will not have many changes. The Wildcat’s outlook on the upcoming season is full of optimism and anticipation considering the unexpected outcome last year. 

“This year, there is a little more pressure on us compared to previous years because of how well we did last season. Coming into a season without any expectations is how we were able to find success last year and hopefully we can find that same success or even go further,” says senior captain Sage Works who has been a solid presence on the defensive side of the team since her freshman year. 

Since COVID-19 stole the 2020 season from the Wildcats, last year came with no expectations, or previous knowledge of how the team would look. However, even with losing a year of work, the team pulled through and made a commendable run. A large reason why they found success was treating every game like it was their last. With the previous threat of COVID, that very much could have been the case. So last year, the girls went into each game with the hopes of winning and playing their game of lacrosse. This fueled the girls to bring it all the way to the semi-final game. Now this year the team’s ambitions and goals are much higher due to last year’s success. 

“I think we have the ability to win a lot of games when we come together as a team. My expectations are pretty high for this year, and I think our team can go as far as we want as long as we work for it,” says senior captain Clara Pavuk. Clara and her sister Rose have played pivotal roles on the team since their freshman year. This upcoming season they will hold down the fort playing in the midfield, along with sophomore Cary Drake. During the fall, the twins committed to continue their academic and athletic careers playing Division 1 lacrosse in the America East conference for the University of New Hampshire. This is a commendable accomplishment, and their skills will kickstart the team this upcoming season. Bringing their knowledge and experience to the table, will only bring up the lacrosse IQs of those around them, giving this team a great chance of going all the way. 

Nevertheless, the talent doesn’t fall short on this squad. The fourth senior captain, Charlotte Grimes is a force in the defensive end. She’s not afraid to throw a few elbows, even though ice hockey season ended a few months ago. Finishing off the backfield, is returning senior Lily Feugill, junior Abby Dickson and Tia Spenlinhauer/ Dilyana Djenkova in net. On the attacking end, returning seniors Ashley Lapierre and Lexi Bardwell have a lot of experience and a knack for the goal. They’re joined by sophomore Anna Doughty and junior Abigail Armlin. 

This starting lineup brings the speed, intensity and athleticism required to win it all. Despite the obstacles of COVID and the circumstances last year, the future looks bright for the lady wildcats with the amount of depth and talent on the team. Still a great deal of work ahead, but nothing too much for them to accomplish. With the first game looming on April 14th against Cape Elizabeth, the girls have intentions of starting off strong with a big win.