Spring is almost here, and that means spring sports are starting up at Westford Academy, one of them being WA Girls’ Lacrosse. It’s a new year which means the team has a few preparations and changes to face.
Senior captain Molly Harding, and junior captains Erin Keefe and Kassidy Carmichael share what they are doing to prepare for the upcoming season.
“[We are focusing on] injury prevention, and making sure that we’re all healthy and getting fit for the season, so that no one gets injured,” Keefe said.
Since lacrosse is a contact sport and the girls don’t wear much protection, their focus is mainly on preventing injuries, and staying healthy so they can have a good season.
Last year, the team went all the way to the first round in states, but unfortunately didn’t make it past that point. They do plan on getting farther this year and are hoping to make states again.
“We definitely want to make states, and we’re just trying to take it day by day and not overlook [the season],” Carmichael said.
They plan on doing as much as possible to make it further, and ultimately reach their goal, which is to make it to the championships and win as many games throughout the normal season.
A big part of why they made it so far last year was because of how well the team bonded and communicated on and off the field. Their coach also takes part in all of their team activities and bonding events so that they can all become one community, so they are able to trust each other on the field. Many of the players from last year graduated, so the team is on the younger side this year. Still, communication and bonding will definitely help them come together and be a team.
“Last year we lost a lot of our defense. [Many of them] graduated, so I think that once we establish a solid, and trusting relationship between the defense, we will be pretty good,” Keefe said.
Some of the bonding activities the team does are spags. They also do some community service and a fun Easter egg hunt every year. They go to college lacrosse games like Boston College as a team, and the coach hosts the team for pizza parties at her house.
For practices and warm ups, they have a system that works well for them and helps them get their priorities straight. If they have a bad game, the next practice they focus on what went wrong and fix it so it won’t happen for the next game.
“We start with defense, and then add the offense in, so we can focus on specific drills that [are designed] for what we struggled with,” Harding said.
Each year, there is one game during the season where the juniors, sophomores, and freshmen take the time to create posters of the seniors, to honor them and dedicate the night to the seniors leaving. The student section is usually packed full during this game to show their support for the team and the seniors graduating.
Ultimately the captains plan on taking the season one practice and one game at a time, to hopefully put less pressure on the new members of the team and get them ready for what is in store.
“I [believe] we can go farther this year, and I think we have a [great] season ahead of us,” Keefe said.
The team’s first game will be on Thursday, March 28 at Westford Academy against Nashoba Regional.
