MARBLEHEAD — Last season, the Marblehead girls lacrosse team qualified for the state tournament and advanced to the second round with an 18-6 home win against Tantasqua Regional.
Despite a loss against Bedford in the next round, the Magicians are returning a strong core of players.
Of the returners – six being seniors – head coach Annie Madden is looking for them to lead the team. She believes seniors Lucy Wales, Kate Santeusanio, Tamia Johnson, Saylor Caruso, Sydney Langton, and Isabelle Ferrante, as a group, can help lead the Magicians this spring.
“I’m looking forward to our senior class working together and taking everything they’ve learned the past three years and being leaders on the field,” Madden said.
The Magicians are still a young team, but according to Madden, they’re ready to get going.
“We’re really excited for the upcoming season,” Madden said. “We have a lot of new players coming in and we have two outstanding captains this year in Langton and Caruso.”
“They’re [Langton and Caruso] two players who have been integral to our program. We are looking forward to them leading our team from the start,” Madden said.
Though the team will, again, be young, the experience – both victory and defeat in the postseason – from last year can only benefit them.
“Last year, we were young. We had freshmen and sophomores on the field, so they got some experience last year. We have a good core of underclassmen taking the field this year, so we’ll need all of our seniors to show our underclassmen what it means to be a part of our program,” Madden said.
Madden believes her team will find success if her players play as “one cohesive unit,” making sure everyone is aligned mentally.
“We want to make sure our defenders, middies, attackers, goalie, sidelines, and JV program are in it for the right reasons. Working together as one unit and having one goal – focusing on improving each day with the hope of making the tournament in the end,” Madden said.
Yes, without hesitation, Madden said she wants to “make the postseason.”
“Our goal is to always make it to the postseason. That’s the number one thing,” Madden said. “I can see that the girls want to continue to [maintain] our culture and continue to keep our program strong,” Madden said.
The spring season officially began Monday with tryouts, and when it comes to her team’s schedule, Madden said she is “looking forward to playing all of their NEC opponents.”
Madden referenced that, each year, the NEC (Northeastern Conference) keeps getting “stronger and stronger,” and the growth of lacrosse on the North Shore has been a “pleasure to watch.”
The Magicians are looking for another tournament berth this season, and behind a strong group of veteran leaders, it’s all about meeting that expectation.
