The Girls Lacrosse team has had a season like none other. Starting the season with not even enough players to create a team, the girls have held an outstanding record of 11-1. They have won more games than any other sports team this year. Athletes on the team were questioning whether they would even have a season this year, only later to know that they hold the best record the Girls Lacrosse Team at Friends has ever had. Though the season is not over, great things are in store for the future of this team. When asked about her first season on the team, Ana Pardo ‘24 has nothing but good things to say. “All the upperclassmen are super nice and the energy is always super positive. Our success in games has exceeded all of our expectations on how this season was going to go.”
In late March, everyone started preparing for spring sports. Many other teams were excited to finally get a spring season because COVID took it away from them last year. Girls lacrosse, however, was more worried than excited. They had around 11 players and averaged six or seven players at a daily practice. In those first two weeks, the makeshift team was not even sure if they were going to see their first game. Moira Marcozzi ‘23 explains, “Everyone jumped on board to recruit people, whether it was their friend or someone that wasn’t playing a sport this season.” Along with the team’s efforts, Girls Lacrosse Head Coach, Jess Franklin, had the idea to ask four eighth-graders to play up along with the other students they recruited. Lilly Hebert, Evie Rademaker, Piper Kendle, and Sawyer Rowland were all very excited to be asked to play for the team. Lilly Hebert ‘25 talked about her experience being an eighth-grader on a team mainly full of high schoolers. “There was one game when I was upset on the field. My coaches pulled me out and reassured me that I belonged on the team and that I was good enough. So, at moments it has been hard being an eighth-grader, but the coaches and players all made sure that my spirits were lifted up at the rough times.” When asked about their experiences on the team, many other players said something similar about the strong relationships between teammates. Alexa Donahue ‘22 addressed this point when interviewed. “Becoming a close team during the spring is always a challenge and has never been something we have successfully done. This year I can honestly say we are so close and really genuinely get along well together.”
However, this strong bond between the girls creates more than just a friendship. Many of the girls shared the same ideas when asked about the success of the team this year. Donahue ‘22 claims, “Our coaches this year have changed in the way that they are pushing us much harder than they ever have.” Donahue recently scored her 100th career goal on Saturday, May 8th against Padua Academy. Teamwork is another aspect leading these girls to all their success. Pardo ‘24 brings up, “Our team also does not depend on one person to score all of the goals, instead, we work as a team and our games are a massive group effort. I would say on average we have about 6-7 scorers a game which shows that it is not just one player doing all of the work.” Lastly, many upperclassmen on the team talk about how the players and coaches are even more driven during this season due to last year’s season getting taken away. Marcozzi ‘23 explains, “I think not having a season last year definitely affected our way into looking at the 2021 season.” Moira Marcozzi has also recently won the title of Athlete of The Week, Delaware Online’s weekly spring contest. The sophomore had four goals and an assist in a 20-14 win over St. Andrew’s and two goals in a 16-14 victory over St. Mark’s.
The team as a whole, along with the individuals, have had major success this season. All of these girls talk about a certain “drive” that really inspires them during their games. Could this be the reasoning behind all the success of these girls? Maybe, but there is no doubt that this team has worked harder than ever this season during preseason and practices. Pardo ‘24 exclaims, “This team inspires me so much and I am so glad that I have been part of it this year. We are not just a team, we are friends that inspire each other every day.” We wish nothing but the best of luck as the Wilmington Friends Highschool Girls Lacrosse Team finishes out their season.