Brett Carroll
Staff Writer
Working together as a team and the guidance of the seniors will be the key components for the Freehold Township High School girls’ lacrosse team this spring.
“We have a lot of new girls on the field,” Freehold Township coach Patra Acquaviva said. “So, it’s all about meshing. We’ve seen vast improvement, and I’ve told them how happy I am with that, but that’s still the biggest thing. We have a lot of skill, and we’re still working on those skill development as well, but the issue right now is meshing right now and getting used to the new faces in the lineup.”
Senior midfielders Cai Martin and Michelle Pascrell will be the two of the leaders for these Patriots.
They believe that their leadership, both on and off the field, will be a major factor in the team’s success.
“We have a pretty young, inexperienced team,” Martin said. “Not a lot of them have any varsity experience. So, right now, it’s about making our varsity come together and get our chemistry going. I think it’s a lot of off the field bonding that needs to happen. As well as trusting each other on the field to make the plays necessary.”
“I also think it’s a lot of team building on and off the field,” Pascrell said. “It’s our job to make the new girls feel comfortable and apart of this team.”
Acquaviva will look for leadership from junior midfielder Kristen Murphy, senior Brianna Coladonato and Katie Person as well as Marin and Pascrell.
Acquaviva praised her leaders for what they’ve done so far this year. The coach also pointed out that her squad has used ample opportunities to come together has a team.
The Patriots showed their balance and team work when they rolled past Middletown High School North, 16-2, on April 6 in Freehold Township.
“We were winning the draw right off the bat,” Acquaviva said. “And we were connecting on transitions down the field. So, it never was really a running game. We were able to get two or three passes in before we took a shot on goal.”
“I think it was a team effort,” Martin said. “It wasn’t just our three midfielders today. Our attack got involved. Our defenders got involved. We were really good in our transition today. So, yeah, everyone contributed to this win.”
“I think there was a lot of trust involved out there today,” Pascrell added. “We trusted each other to make plays and catch the ball, so our flow was really good.”
The Patriots will get another chance to show off their leadership skills when they play as the host to rival Howell High School on April 12 in a 4 p.m. game.