MARBLEHEAD — The Marblehead girls lacrosse team hit SSG Christopher N. Piper Field last week for the first week of tryouts. Head coach Annie Madden, who has been in charge of the program since 2011, is looking forward to another year with her players.
Despite it being spring, it still feels like winter outside, but that didn’t stop the energy and excitement for tryouts according to Madden.
“The energy is high, and it’s been amazing to see everyone giving their best effort. There’s already great teamwork, determination, and a strong work ethic on display,” Madden said. “It’s exciting to watch players push themselves, support each other, and set the tone for a fantastic season ahead.”
The Magicians had their first scrimmage last Friday in Lexington participating in the Preseason Play Day. Despite graduating 10 seniors from last year’s team, Madden is looking at her current senior group to take the next step. In the preseason game, she liked what she saw from her upperclassmen.
“I’m looking for our current seniors to step up and take control of our younger team,” Madden said. “Maddie Forbes, Ramona Gillett, Courtney Hoguet, Caitlyn Ryan, and Gretchen Smith came to lead and play on Friday in Lexington at our Preseason Play Day. It was exciting to see this group of seniors take ownership and lead by example.”
Three of those seniors, Forbes, Gillett, and Hoguet will be the team captains this year.
It can be challenging at times to build chemistry with a team, but luckily for the Magicians, chemistry is one of their strengths.
“Our biggest strengths this year will be our team chemistry and work ethic,” Madden said. “This group is already showing great determination and a strong bond, which will help us push each other and succeed throughout the season.”
At times last year, the Magicians offense struggled, Madden admitted wanting to improve on that end of the field.
“This year, we want to focus on slowing down the ball in the midfield to create better control and smarter plays,” Madden said. “We’re also working on improving our scoring opportunities.”
The Magicians return two of their higher scorers from last season. Forbes registered 40 goals and tallied 25 assists while now-sophomore Kathryn Commoss netted 40 goals with 14 assists in her first season with Marblehead.
Marblehead’s first game of the season is on Thursday when it welcomes Woburn to Piper Field at 4 p.m.
