LYNNFIELD — With nearly its entire backfield unit back in place for the 2023 season, look for the Lynnfield field hockey team to have a decidedly-defensive flair this season.
Lynnfield finished last season 11-7 and made it all the way to the Elite 8 in the Division 4 state tournament where the ride ended with a 2-0 loss to Monomoy.
This year’s team will be led by senior captains Maddie Sieve (D), Melissa Caprio (M/D) and Maddie Mastangelo (D). Fourth-year coach Samantha Pindara said they are all defensive-minded, so she expects they will anchor a strong back line.
“I’ve always been very defensive-minded, so I think it will be more of a team that is really solid defensively because we have experience back there. Those three all started and were strong for us last year,” Pindara said. “Coming into this year, it’s nice to already know they’ve got that covered. They know what to do and have played under some really great captains the last couple of years, so they know who to model themselves after. They were great all summer and we’ve had a great season so far. They’ve been great and assertive voices on the field. Off the field, already I’ve seen in the six days we’ve been out here they are the ones the other players go to.”
Pindara said she lost just six seniors from the 2022 team.
“They were not all starters but they all contributed,” Pindara said. “There were some who were starters so we’re replacing leadership as well as longtime contributions.”
The Pioneers have a new goalkeeper in junior Lauren MacDonald, who replaces two-year starter Charlotte Radulski, who graduated last year.
“Lauren was fortunate enough to be watching with Charlotte the last two years. They had a great relationship, so now it’s Lauren who is stepping into that role.” Pindara said. “She’s done a great job this week.”
Pindara said that while the team graduates several key offensive contributors, she expects senior Chloe Kuska (F), junior Gia Marotta (M/D), junior Taylor Valentin (M/D) and senior Sophia Fiorentino (M/F) will be “returners who we will be looking to on offense to make plays. Offensively we did graduate a lot last year, so it’s a young crew [and] we are expecting that group to be a strong voice out there this year.”
Pindara said Marotta and Valentin will play key roles in the midfield.
Lynnfield ended the week with a scrimmage at home against Masconomet and a league play day at home Saturday.
“Thursday’s Masco scrimmage went great, even though it really poured about halfway in,” Pindara said. “We have a lot of younger players, so seeing them already throughout the game figuring each other out was nice to already see.”
Pindara said promising newcomers include freshman Lauren Mattia (M/D) and sophomores Isabella Fiorentino (M/F), Cameron Munion (M/F) and Lily Alves (D).
“They’ve shown some nice things all week and in the Masco scrimmage,” Pindara said. “What’s nice about our younger kids is a lot of them play year-round so they don’t have an offseason, so it’s really just a matter of getting them used to playing together.”
Rounding out the squad are seniors Adrianna Buccilli (F), Hannah Doyle (D), Casey Flynn (D), Hailey Mihalchik (M/B), Alexa Petrucelli (M) and junior Caitlin Buonconti (F).
Pindara expects the top teams in the Cape Ann League will be Manchester-Essex and Newburyport along with CAL newcomer Essex Tech.
“The good thing is we see some really good teams all year,” she said. “I think that last year in the Elite 8, there were five or six teams from the Cape Ann League so we’re fortunate that it’s nice to see them in the regular season and then see them again in the playoffs.”
Sieve, Mastangelo and Caprio believe the Pioneers are ready to pick up where they left off in 2022.
“We are definitely playing with a new team and new players, but I think we are working hard and are ready to go,” Sieve said.
“I agree with Maddie and also we have a lot of defensive players returning,” Mastrangelo said. “Our offensive line is new, but they are working well together and believe they will be ready once they figure it out and learn each others’ games.”
Caprio is particularly excited about the newcomers’ skill level.
“This year, we are bringing in a lot of new girls with a lot of talent that we haven’t seen before,” she said. “And we have a good number of returning players so I think we are all going to work well together.”
The Pioneers’ season begins Wednesday, Sept. 6 at home against Triton (4).
