Season Preview: Swampscott girls’ lacrosse looks for improvement

In his second season at the helm of the Swampscott girls? lacrosse team, Ken Leeder is hoping to make a big leap forward. After inheriting a team that finished 3-17 in 2013, Leeder led the Big Blue to a 7-11-2 record in his first season.
?We?re slowly looking to get better,” Leeder said. “We?ve got some great leaders coming back and I expect us to make more strides from last year.”
Two of those leaders are Priscilla Sullivan and Niamh Lang. Sullivan and Lang are among the 14 returning players this year, and they are going to be crucial to the team?s success.
Both Sullivan and Lang are senior captains for Swampscott, and each will provide an offensive punch. In fact, it looks like the team could have a host of scorers on the team this year. Among them are Sullivan (40 goals in 2014), Lang (20) and McKenzie Robertson (40).
?We have a lot of good athletes on the team,” Leeder said. “But we don?t really have anyone who plays lacrosse year round. We?re really going to have to look to our seniors to lead the way.”
Swampscott also has the benefit of bringing back goalie Claire Powell. The sophomore had a great beginning to her high school career, starting as a freshman and making an impact right away.
Aside from going over the fundamentals and getting back in the groove, there is plenty that Leeder has to work on this preseason.
?We?re trying to install new systems on the offensive and defensive sides,” he said. “But it?s kind of hard to do what you want when you?re stuck inside.”
This is the problem that all coaches are facing this spring. With all the snow on the ground, teams are stuck in their gyms unless they have a turf field to play on. This limits the kind of work teams can do, and many coaches see it as a disadvantage.
?We?re working with stick skills and doing small scrimmages for now, but it?s hard when you?re not on the field.”
Swampscott is scheduled to play its first game on April 1 at Gloucester.Mike Alongi can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @m_alongi.