By Nicholas, Jake, Owen, and Ryan

Introduction/Background
Lacrosse for Middleboro High School is a new emerging sport. With it’s addition to the spring sports lineup two years ago the main focus is building the team. The two years have not been too strong record wise, last year the record was 0-11. However this year, they will be playing all varsity teams. The south shore league is experienced when it comes to girls to lacrosse. Teams such as Cohasset, East Bridgewater, Norwell and North Quincy will all be tough competitors. However, the participation is not a problem. So many girls this year are supposedly trying out that cuts may need to be made. With no coach for the JV team they might not be able to implement a team. The team is projected to improve a miniscule amount from the previous season. As previously mentioned they are a work is process and improvement will take time.

New Additions
There are just so many new additions. Players such as Lauren Empey who just recently set a school record for scoring 1,000 points in her MHS basketball career. Due to the increase of new players throughout the last few years, many new juniors, sophomores, and freshmen are going out for the team this year. With the vast amount of girls trying out for the team this year, there is a possible chance that the coach may need to make cuts. With the new additions, and strong leaders returning from last season, the first time varsity girls lacrosse team looks like they have a bright season ahead of them.

Team Losses
The team hasn’t necessarily suffered any major losses. They were a young team last year, and so they lost no seniors. The most important factor to their season is that everyone is coming back. This will increase their chances to bond as a team quickly. With many new freshmen additions and returning players the lacrosse team will be set for the future. The recent explosion of popularity for this sport will attract many new players and that is just what they need. With any sport that has recently begun the one thing they need is players who are willing to play the sport. These players don’t need to be talented they just need to be motivated enough to learn and make the team go forward as a unit.

Confidence
The MHS Girl’s Lacrosse team is gearing up to start their 2017 spring season. The team didn’t win a game last year, but they have grown as a team. They began as a really young team last year with no seniors. However, this season, they will be older, stronger, and more experienced. They have been putting in work over the offseason, and they should feel confident about the fact that they aren’t losing anyone. The girls have been putting in hours of work every week this offseason with the Lakeville Lakers program. Putting in time with this renowned local program only provides benefits for this young Sachem team. In the long run this team will be set up for years of success.

Concerns
With this being only the third year for the team, they are still building up towards a winning program. As with any athletic program the risk of injury is imminent. The players have been taking great measures during the offseason to make sure they do not get injured. The program is in its first year at a varsity level. This is cause for concern as there is a lack of experience in the program. All of the seasoned 3 year players will have to increase their game ten-fold in order to provide enough support for a winning season. Even with this lack of experience the program should begin to thrive with the newly built popularity surrounding the program.