Wildcat Girls Lacrosse Hopes for Strong Season

For two years, the girls lacrosse team has failed to qualify for the MIAA tournament. Now with a new coach and a solid combination of talented youth and experienced leadership, the Wildcats are hoping for a successful season.

Heading up the varsity program will be first-year coach Caitlin Finn, who previously served as an assistant and junior varsity coach to the Wildcats.

Captaining the squad will be senior leader and four year veteran Emma Drew, who will once again serve as a stalwart between the posts.

“I’m very excited about the way the team is looking this year,’’ said Drew. “We have a nice combination of youth and experience and we should be in the running for a spot in the tournament. The past couple of seasons have been rough, and we didn’t finish above .500, but we have a strong group of girls, who’ve looked great in practice so far.”

Drew, who emerged as a three time all-star on the ice, also earned Bay State All-Star status while earning all-scholastic honors.

“Playing goalie in lacrosse is very similar to hockey,’’ said Drew. “The only difference pretty much is that hockey is on the ice while lacrosse is on the turf, but I’m looking forward to a great season, and we’re hoping we have a chance to make the tournament, especially in my senior year.”

Other key contributors for the Wildcats include senior co-captain Katherine Phelan, who’s slated to be inserted as a low defender while fellow senior co-captain Ines Campbell will be the team’s starting center.

“We have some pretty strong leaders and we’re confident that we’ll be able to work with the younger girls on the team,’’ said Drew. “Some of the girls I played with in hockey, and we know each other very well. I’ve been enjoying the first few days of practice so far, and right now we’re just getting into the groove of playing with one another again.”

As for forwards, the Wildcats will be led by the sophomore duo of Erin Higgins and Jen Berry, both of whom will be penciled in as the starting forwards.

“(Erin) and (Jen) have looked really good for us so far during the tryouts and the practices,’’ said Drew. “They’ve worked hard in the off-season and we’re hoping that they can generate some great scoring opportunities for us.”

Experienced defenders for the Wildcats include Jess Sullivan, Kathleen Walsh followed by sophomore Emily Hubar.

“Our defense is pretty strong, and they’ve done a great job playing strong in front of me,’’ said Drew. “We’re hoping that they’ll be a huge factor for us as we move the ball up field.”

As for tough opponents, Drew is anticipating Wellesley and Needham along with Braintree and Norwood to be among the most challenging throughout the season.

“It’s pretty much the same in lacrosse as it is in hockey,’’ said Drew. “There are really no easy games on the schedule, and there’s going to be some very tough competition that we’re going to face. But we’re confident that we’ll be up to the task and have a successful season.”

While the Wildcats haven’t scheduled in any scrimmages as of yet, Drew is anticipating at least one over the next two weeks before the season kicks off.

“We’re working hard, and we’re getting everything together,’’ said Drew. “We have some time to figure things out, and everybody has been doing a great job. Our schedule is pretty compact and we’re playing up to two or three games a week, so that’s going to be a challenge for us.”

While the Wildcats are primarily a turf team, Drew is confident that they’ll be able to adjust to playing on grass surface when they’ll hit the road against teams such as Needham, Wellesley and Braintree.

“We’re a turf team, but we can adjust to playing on grass as well,’’ said Drew. “We’ll practice on the grass surfaces because the game is so much different between grass and turf.”

The Wildcats won’t kick off the season until April 8, when they’ll host Natick at Brooks Field.