After a challenging girls’ lacrosse season, six seniors closed out their journey in Malden High School sports on May 21st. The six seniors, Abigail Morrison, Grace Sewell, Briana Morales Pacheco, Belen Quispe Almendro, Alina Dao, and Julia Rodrigues have all led their team to immense success, creating 9 wins in 13 games during the 2023-2024 season.
The three senior captains, Morrison, Sewell, and Pacheco, and the remaining three seniors were celebrated for their hard work and perseverance during their last-ever home game.
Before the game against Medford started, all six seniors were seen with their families taking pictures with their personalized posters, showcasing their growth during their time playing lacrosse. After warming up, the team hit each other’s sticks before the game as a sign of good luck for one last time at MacDonald Stadium. The senior celebration then moved into junior Jeslyn San giving an emotional speech dedicated to all the hard work the seniors have put into their gameplay off and on the field.
Specifically for San, the senior captains’ determination to the game and overall morals was something that stood out to her as “they’ve taught me how to be respectful, take responsibility for my actions, and taught me how to be a better person overall.” San also noted that each captain has taught her different lessons. “Abby taught me how to support and stand up for yourself. Grace taught and showed me love throughout my time in lacrosse, and Briana taught me friendship,” said San.
Following San’s impactful speech, the seniors took one last picture with the team and their families before the game officially started with a draw done by San and Becky Casey from Medford. Seconds after the draw finished and the whistle blew to start the game, San was able to score, which allowed the last home game to start in Malden's favor. During the game, Malden's players fought aggressively for both the ball and the chance to score, to secure the win on an important day. But, after many fouls on both teams, Malden secured the advantage going into the 3rd quarter, leading 7-5 due to goals from prominent play from San, junior Makenzie Jenkins, and freshman Nyla Pierre.
During the 4th quarter, the team was keen on keeping the lead that they already had with strong defense. With many Medford players trying to shoot at the net, the determination that the team had paid off as the team was able to pull off a 9-5 win, with two goals in the quarter from San and Jenkins, ultimately leaving the seniors with a win during their last home game and a qualifying spot in the state tournament.
As lacrosse captain, Morrison reflected on her journey of being a captain for three seasons. Coach Pattershall believes it was exactly what she was looking for in a captain, “Abby’s been captain for the past three seasons, and she’s just displayed leadership qualities and she came on knowing what to do… like knowing when to be silly but also when to pull it in.”
The same qualities were also displayed with the rest of the senior captains, Grace Sewell, and Briana Pacheco who have both picked up the leadership role this season. As Coach Pattershall explained it, Sewell became a captain due to her strong leadership qualities.
“Grace is someone who can be vocal and loud if she needs to, she knows how to turn it off and be a leader,” Pattershall said.
When Sewell looks back on her past season as a captain, she explained it to be “harder than I thought it would be, but at the end of the day, it’s been very rewarding.”
The third lacrosse captain, Briana Pacheco, thought that her time as captain has been similar to Sewell’s in the sense that “it’s been hard but really fun because of the responsibilities that come with it… but as long as you’re communicating with your captains and teammates, it’s a really fun time.” Her role on the team, as explained by Coach Pattershall, was one that was key in their success this season due to her ability to step up into a leadership position and to “keep all the girls calm and level-headed because she stays pretty neutral.”
Overall, all of the seniors have made great impacts on their team due to them becoming “good positive influences, and good role models, especially when we have so many new girls coming on,” as said by Coach Pattershall. Although the seniors may have left their high school lacrosse careers behind, their determination and skill will still be appreciated, especially by those currently playing.
