SAUGUS — With the season fast approaching, the Saugus girls lacrosse team is ready to get out onto the field and showcase what it’s made of.
The Sachems have a lot to look forward to in the upcoming season. With eight returning seniors, these girls are going to get to play on a brand-new turf field instead of the old grass field at Stackpole in previous years.
“We’re really excited because this year we have a brand-new turf field,” said Saugus coach Melissa Toomey. “We’ve always had to play on a grass field that was always kind of beat up.”
Coming into this season, Toomey thinks that her team can have an advantage. With some of her players getting varsity-game experience during the shortened season last spring, that may be the edge this team needs.
“The good thing about last year and having a smaller team is that everyone got a chance to play during the year and gain that varsity experience,” said Toomey. “So, that was a nice thing for them to get into games and see how other teams play.”
For a lot of these girls, there isn’t a program for lacrosse before high school in Saugus. So, with a lot of eighth-graders being eligible to play this year, Toomey is excited to see their development — especially because some of them will get in an extra year by the time they become freshmen.
Toomey also had a lot of great things to say about her senior captains. Georgia Fiore, Kali Penachio and Elise Rego all received high praise as their coach raved about the talent they bring to the team as well as their leadership off the field.
“Those three girls are special in the way they present themselves on and off the field,” said Toomey. “They bring a lot of talent on the field and are able to motivate the team in the locker room.”
One thing that really excites Toomey and the rest of this team is the fact that everyone playing is going to have some level of varsity experience. They’re excited to see where this season takes them and just overall excited to be a full squad once again.
Saugus is set to open its season Thursday afternoon (4) when it hosts Malden Catholic.
