Spartans Girls Lacrosse Shines in Season-Opener

The reigning Western Massachusetts champions started off their 2023 season with a 15-6 win.

A four goal performance from sophomore Addie Jordan and a hat-trick performance from junior Megan Morneau, both named to Class B First Team All Western Mass last spring, led the team in the high-scoring game.

This win came over Northampton, the team that the Spartans beat in an OT thriller last season to win the Western Mass title. That game also contained great performances from both Jordan and Morneau, with the OT winning goal coming from Jordan. 

Jordan then went on to score the game-winner in the Spartans’ Round of 32 game against West Springfield in a 16-15 victory. She finished the 2022 season with 40 goals, second on the team to Morneau’s 43.

Over the off-season, Morneau committed to play lacrosse at Denver University in the Class of ‘28. The Pioneers are currently ranked No. 3 in the nation. Morneau also led the Spartans in assists last season with 27.

She picked up an assist in this game on Addie Jordan’s third goal, coming in at the 18 second mark of the first half to make the score 10-3. 

Other goals throughout the game came from sophomore Angelina Truoiolo, junior Anna Maccarini, senior Brigid Jordan, junior Aleigh Thompson, and sophomore Kenna Marino.

Head coach Katie Moses commented on the variety of scorers from her team.

“We had contributions from everyone on the team, which is so nice to see,” Moses said. “There are also a lot of things to improve on, but overall I thought they played a complete game tonight.”

Thompson, one of three captains alongside Morneau and Brigid Jordan, agreed with Moses that there are still aspects of their game that need to be improved upon.

“We can definitely improve on our transition after winning the ball over, as we had some struggles with that,” Thompson said. “Overall, we all showed up ready to play and started off this season strong.”

Thompson led the team in creating turnovers in this game with five. Junior defender Talya Weiss was second on the team with three, including one to set the tone for her team just seconds after the game had begun. 

Thompson gave praise to her teammates for their effort displayed in this game.

“Our girls worked really well in creating shooting opportunities not just for themselves, but for their teammates,” Thompson said. “We fought to get it back every ball that was given up.”

There were seven assists in this game out of the fifteen goals scored, including one from sophomore Kenna Marino on Thompson’s lone goal. 

This showcase of teamwork can be accredited to, according to Moses, the “good team chemistry” the girls have with each other.

Moses also gave recognition to her captains for preparing the team to start the season strong.

“The captains have done a nice job,” Moses said. “Two of them are young, so it’s nice to see younger captains step up to the plate. I thought they did a good job getting the girls ready for preseason and the first week of tryouts.”

There was also a hanging dread that lingered over the team during preseason regarding the program’s track record for starting their previous seasons slow. 

By being able to break the notorious losing streak, Moses described this as a  “strong team win” that will allow the girls to “build confidence.”

Thompson also went into the specifics as to how this game will preview the rest of the team’s season.

“We were able to see our strengths and weaknesses to further work on this season,” Thompson said. “As a captain, I hope to step up, encourage, and push all of my teammates to continue improving and gain the confidence that every lacrosse player needs, as we do have a younger team with tons of talent.”

They continued their winning ways on Monday evening with a 12-6 win over West Springfield and will attempt to push the streak to three in Minnechaug this afternoon.