Girls Lacrosse Poised For Special Season

The Whaler girls lacrosse team is loaded with talent and primed for a special season this year with players such as sophomore Bailey Lower, who scored 50 goals and tallied 17 assists in her freshman season last year, leading the way. But head coach Jami Lower believes there are far more players aside from Bailey who are incredibly talented, skilled, and will play significant roles in this team's success as they eye a successful regular season and deep tournament run.

“I am really excited because every player on this team has something to contribute,” Lower said. “This is just a group that loves this sport. They eat, sleep, and breathe lacrosse.”

Nantucket’s top five scorers from last season are back for this year. The 2022 roster includes returnees who scored 143 of the 155 goals Nantucket buried last season.

The group, aside from Lower, includes senior Evelyn Fey (24 goals, 16 assists), sophomore Emerson Pekarcik (25 goals, 10 assists), sophomore Cydney Mosscrop (25 goals, 7 assists), and senior Ava Mosscrop (14 goals, 8 assists).

But Lower said the team has talent far beyond these five players. She said she is excited to see sophomore Evy Stahl on offense, along with freshmen Mayson Lower and Maddie Lombardi.

“When I look at this freshman class, there is a lot of talent there,” Lower said. “They were ripped off of a season because of COVID obviously, and there are some who haven’t played in two years. They are eager to jump and dive into this season. I’m eager to see how they fit into this group and what they can bring to our team.”

Sophomore Hannah Evens and senior Anna Hudzik will anchor a defense that Lower says can be dominant and help Nantucket spring into their transition game.

“Those two are going to be huge on defense,” Lower said. “They are so good for us back there. Our low defense like scooping up the ball and just recognizing how they begin the transition will be awesome to watch. Our players are very instinctive.”

The transition play will be one of the Whaler's greatest strengths thanks to their speed and skill.

“Our game in transition is pretty insane,” Lower said. “Seeing the way Bailey and Cydney are connecting is impressive because they know how to move ball and where to be, but we have talent up and down the lineup that can contribute. Each player has very distinct positions and responsibilities.”

The Whalers had three scrimmages on Sunday against Barnstable, New Bedford, and Marshfield at Mass Maritime. Nantucket won all three, and it was because of each player understanding their specific role on the roster that helped propel Nantucket to an undefeated slate of games.

“I was really psyched with the way the girls played because one of the biggest points of emphasis has been working together, sportsmanship, and coming together to collectively work towards the common goal,” Lower said. “Today really encapsulated that. We had a ton of clears from the defensive end and great passing through transition. The connections were there with our passing. Every coach wants to see goals assisted, even second and third assists. We just like assists and team offense. We had so many assists (Sunday). I’m psyched to see them growing, maturing, and realizing we are doing this as a team.”

Senior Mimi Belanger will be the Whaler’s goalie once again. Lower said Belanger brings stability in net.

“Mimi has been working really hard, has a new stick, and a whole warm up routine,” Lower said. “She has the experience now and she plays great in net. She takes command of the field and tells the defense where to go. She is like the mother hen for us out there running the show.”

Lower said her team has been working on some new plays and they are excited to show their creativity and lacrosse IQ on the field, not just their speed and athleticism.

“We have some fun things up our sleeve,” Lower said. “I’m very excited for this season. I’m excited to see where we can go. I’m fortunate to have a group that is invested in lacrosse like these girls are. As long as we play as a team, we are going to have a really great season I think.”

The Whalers will begin their regular season on Tuesday, April 5, on the road against the Barnstable Red Hawks at 3:30 p.m.