PEABODY — When it comes to Peabody girls lacrosse coach Dennis Desroches, Yogi Berra may have hit the nail right on the head — it’s deja vu all over again.
Last fall, Desroches faced a monumental task as coach of the girls soccer team. With only three returning starters, Desroches said it was the most inexperienced team he had ever coached, yet the Tanners still won 11 games and made it to the quarterfinals of the Division 1 North state tournament.
Fast forward to the 2018 spring season and it’s been there and, hopefully, done that for the girls lacrosse team, which features just four returning starters and another four with varsity experience.
“We lost an incredible senior class and have a brand new group, just like we did in soccer last fall,” Desroches said. “That seems to be a recurring theme these days, in that for a second season in a row it seems like we graduated our entire varsity roster. I don’t want to say it’s a rebuilding year, but there are a lot of holes to fill. All I can hope is we have the same success we had in soccer last fall.”
The Tanners are coming off a record-setting year, finishing 17-5, tying a program record for most wins and making it to the quarterfinals in a deep run in the Division 1 North bracket.
But, they have some pretty big cleats to fill, starting with Northeastern Conference First Team all-stars Lauren Wolff, the NEC Offensive Player of the Year, and goalie Gianna DeNisco.
Wolff set three individual school records and finished her career as the all-time leader in single season points (100), single season goals (77) and career points (252).
Denisco also set three records – career saves (620), lowest goals against average (5.95 per game) and all-time best save percentage (60 %.). Wolff has moved on to Utica College, where she is the Pioneers’ second leading scorer with 15 points in seven games, while DeNisco is the starting goalie at Salem State.
“When you lose two players who had such impressive careers, it’s always a difficult challenge,” said Desroches. “But everyone will have ample opportunity to improve as the year progresses.”
The Tanners will be led by captains Sarah Buckley, Catherine Manning, Alex Houlden and Alyssa Saraceni.
Desroches said he expects Buckley, a senior, to pick up the offensive slack at attack, while Manning, a junior, will likely be the backbone of the backfield, while Saraceni and Houlden, both juniors, will be key in the midfield.
“Sarah had a monster postseason last year, she pumped in four straight goals in our first round win over Lowell, and Catherine, what can I say except she has been a stellar defender since freshman year,” said Desroches. “Alex and Alyssa both look ready to step up into big roles.”
Also back for another season are sophomores Colleen Crotty, who started at attack last year, and Olivia Kiricoples, who worked her way into the starting lineup as a middie. Abigail Ryder and swing player Maddy Lomasney also return at attack.
“Olivia and Colleen both had 40-point plus seasons in 2017, so they will hopefully be able to take the load off Buckley,” Desroches said. “I am also looking to Abigail and a few others to help the offense. We are going to need balance and we are going to need our freshmen to adjust to the speed and talent in the league.”
It remains to be seen who will step up in goal, but Desroches said that already two or three players are in the mix including sophomores Sydney Nagle and Katelyn Rice and freshman Olivia Lavalle.
Other newcomers are juniors Danielle Diantgikis (attack) and Kaylyn Falco (middie); sophomore middies Rachel Turner, Emily Carney and Jenna Rigol; and freshmen Skylar Girard (attack), Aja Alimonte (defense), Haile Baker (middie), Jordyn Collins (defense), Amber Kiricoples (middie), Hailie Lomasney (attack) and Bridget O’Connell (middie).
Peabody’s captains think the team has what it takes to pick up where last year’s team left off.
“We lost a lot, but we have had a great turnout and think we have players to fill those gaps,” said Manning.
Buckley said she expects Manning to be a major contributor.
“She is our biggest asset on defense,” said Buckley. “It’s early, but her speed and experience will be huge for us.”
“I agree,” said Houlden. “We are going to be good as we have some freshmen who are talented. Our goal is always to keep the program moving forward and I think we have the girls to do that.”
Saraceni’s take is that success begins at the top.
“With coach ‘D’, we always have a strong system of play and while we are definitely rebuilding compared to other years, he has always been able to find a way for us to do well and we all have confidence in him to do that.”
Desroches said he feels the team is on the verge of a major breakthrough.
“We are closing the gap against tourney powers,” said Desroches. “The girls were competitive against every team we played. In our five losses, the average margin of defeat was by 2.6 goals per game and our defense was immense as we only allowed 10 or more goals in four of 20 regular season games.”
Desroches said the conference is loaded this year with Beverly, Marblehead and Swampscott looking strong.
“Our league is very competitive and those teams didn’t lose much from last year, so every game will be tough.”
The Tanners open the season at home Saturday, March 31 against Haverhill (10). Their first conference game is Thursday, April 5 at Gloucester (4).
