History Made: MA Girls’ LAX Win
May 23, 202292 Views
In mid-March 2020, the MA girls lacrosse season was canceled just a few weeks into their season. No senior night, league playoffs, NCS, etc. Now, just over two years later, they have made history, winning the program’s first-ever NCS finals. How did they get from a canceled season, to an NCS banner?
Senior Captain Elsa S. ‘22 thinks it started in the 2018-19 season, where the Wildcats lost in a 12-7 heartbreaker in the quarterfinals to Miramonte. That loss, as devastating as it was, lit a fire under the freshmen on that team. After losing two seasons to Covid-19, the freshmen on that team were seniors, ready to make up for lost time. It started early, said Elsa, “We set goals at the beginning of the season to win BCL playoffs and move past the quarterfinals in NCS,” and meet those goals they did. The Cats went on a rampage of a regular season, going 9-4 overall (5-0 in league play) including a statement win over Tam and two one-goal contests with Division 1 NCS school Marin Catholic and eventual NCS Division 1 champion Redwood. In BCL playoffs, the outcomes were no different with dominant wins over Lick-Wilmerding and University to win the title. In Division 2 NCS playoffs, the Cats were awarded the #2 seed (out of 16) and had solid performances in the first two rounds to get past their 2019 benchmark.
The girls on this team knew the work didn’t stop there. When asked about what makes their team successful, Elsa said, “[A] key factor that has driven this team is our work ethic and our mentality. There have been tough games in which we have to gather and make the switch in our mindset in order for us to win the game and we did just that.” That mentality came into play during their NCS Semi-Finals against #3 seed Tam. A tight, low-scoring 4-3 game at halftime, the Cats came to play in the second half and earned an impressive 10-5 victory against the Hawks. Now, they have a chance to put their names in the history books. Even without the title, this had been a special season for MA girls lacrosse, not just on the field. A tight-knit group that always have each other’s backs, the members of the team can often be found walking in the halls together, dancing on the field, or just enjoying each other’s company. From redemption stories, to strong playoff performances, to tight-knit bonds off the field, this has been a season to remember for the MA girls lacrosse team.
