By STEPHEN MARTELLUCCI
MELROSE — The Melrose High girls’ lacrosse team had its end-of-season banquet recently to celebrate a very successful season.
Melrose reached the MIAA Division 2 state tournament before getting edged, 14-13, at Longmeadow in the Round of 16 to end the year at 14-5.
They handily defeated Whitman-Hansen, 16-3, at home in the first round.
In the Middlesex League, Melrose captured their first Freedom Division crown since 2019 going 6-0. Overall in the league, they were 8-3.
“That was very important to win the division,” said head coach Alicia Geiter, who just completed her second-year at the helm. “It shows that we are a team on the rise.”
Geiter felt the team did better than she expected heading into the year.
“They exceeded my expectations,” said stated. “We had a much harder non-league schedule than last year and the girls embraced it.”
Six seniors will be lost to graduation: Izzy Costello (goalie), Jill Frawley (midfielder), Alex Leeman (defenseman), Grace Durant (defeneeman), Nadia Santos (midfielder) and Maya Friedlaemer (attacker).
Frawley, a co-captain with Leeman, was the Middlesex League Freedom Division MVP. Costello was a ML Freedom Division All-Star.
“The senior class was a special group,” said Geiter. “When I first started coaching (as an assistant) it was their freshman year. They set the standard and were a great group of kids. It will be weird without them and they will be missed.”
Things look bright for the team next spring as they are slated to return 18 players including eight starters. Three of the girls returning were All-Stars this year. Those three are attacker Anna Mathews, defenseman Kiara Brophy and attacker Chloe Arnold. Mathews and Arnold will be juniors next season while Brophy will be a senior.
With Costello gone, junior varsity goalie Mackenzie Arcovio will replace her in net as she will be a junior.
Geiter also wanted to thank her assistant coaches, Lily Cunningham and Mike Doherty for their help along with the players’ parents.