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Newington Girls Lacrosse Surprise Even Themselves

By Michael Antoinetti This season was the first that Newington Girls Lacrosse did well as a whole, finishing 11-4-1, the best Girls Lacrosse has ever done. Vicky Richards, Senior, said, We didnt even have enough [players] for varsity and jv. They were all the same team. Yet this was a positive factor in the teams play. Because they were smaller, they were a lot closer and tighter. Last year 12 seniors left. This year they only had 3 seniors on the team. They also did not have any problems or drama within the team. The athletes said, We all love each other so much. We liked to play with each other. Its a natural tight, cohesive group. This is a team that never had to work on team bonding. They would hang out because they wanted to, and there were no groups or cliques. They came together right from the start, from different groups of friends, but lacrosse brought them together and allowed them to work together. It allowed them to have more room to bond and grow closer as a team on the field. A big win came against Ellington. It was the last game of the regular season - a win would mean a home game for states, a loss meant an away game. Although they were losing at half-time, Newington triumphed with a score of 10-9. Newington wanted to highlight the difference between themsleves and other teams. Ellington, for instance, had one star player who they said probably scored 8 or 9 of their goals, whereas on Newington the players were all equal, so it was harder to shut them down. Instead of defending one athlete, opposing teams would have to defend all of them. This is supported by the fact they had 12 scorers this year, and youre only allowed 11 on the field at a time! Coach Selina Quirion said, This is the first time Ive had a team whos believed in themselves enough to come back like that [against Ellington]. In previous years we werent able to do that, we were defeated already when down. The playoffs did not go as well for the Indians, losing to Glastonbury. The first half was close, and they were playing a tough team. Two years ago they were shut out by Glastonbury but this year they lost by a much closer margin. Most of the athletes learned the game for the first time in high school. They think their freshman coach did an excellent job educating them about the sport. Its a growing sport and will soon be a bigger program. One teamate said, The biggest thing about playing youth is that you come in knowing the rules better. Sometimes the whistle blew and we didnt know what happened. Another big game came from their only tie. Northwest, who won the Class S division, crushed Newington last year. This year they tied them and could have won, but one player thought they were up by one and held the ball although she could have driven to the goal and scored. Yet, even a play like this is remembered fondly by the team, which speaks to their commitment and care for each other. This year in order to have a jv program, freshman came up and played, so they were playing 5 games a week. There is a very bright future for the program. Only three seniors are leaving this year, Vicky Richards, Devon Koss and Jenn Gagnon. I definitely dont want it to be over, said Koss. Last game we were thinking how weird it is to stretch for the last time. No one wanted to leave. Coach Quirion said, Their bond was incredible; they could never get enough. It was always just like they wanted to work hard, and when practice was over they were sad and they wanted more...Constant challenges and overcoming them and wanting more - it was incredible. It was a complete transformation from the 4-12 record last year. Vicky Richards focused on the intangibles: Even stuff that you cant even write down, like prove physically, was way better than in previous years. The chemistry I thought was incredible. In the beginning of the season Coach said, come to me with any problems. That openness made people feel comfortable talking to her and it helped the whole season, too. I dont even have words to describe how happy I was with this season, said Gagnon. Communication, togetherness, everything. Quirion said, We had fast-paced practice. I wouldnt let them hold the ball. They worked harder in practice than in games. They were tired after practice, but not during games. Even on days that were like 136 degrees no one ever complained. They always wanted more, said Quirion, asking, what else you got for us coach?

Julianna Holdcroft looks for a pass.

Devon Koss on the ready.

Newington races past Lewis Mills.

Alex Zapatka muscling her way to the net.

Vicky Richards is used to leaving her competition in the dust.