With a successful season behind them, both the boys and girls lacrosse teams gear up for what they hope will be another productive season. Last year, the girls made it to the state quarterfinals. The boys were second in their conference and top ten in the state.
Boys head coach Adrian Macalalad has even higher aspirations for the team this upcoming season.
“First in districts would be my number one goal,” said Macalalad. “In state, I’d love to see us crack the top five, if not more. We surprised a lot of folks last year in the playoffs and I don’t see why we can’t continue to surprise more folks this year,” said Macalalad.
Girls coach Anna Collett is also aiming high for this season.
“Our goal is always to make it to the postseason, that usually means you [are] the top one of the top 12 teams in the state and then really just as far as we can,” said Collett
Lincoln lacrosse captain Grace Bleich is optimistic about the upcoming season and the team.
“I’m feeling very confident with our team,” said Bleich. “We’re still working on our individual skills and working together as a whole, but I’m feeling great. I’m excited, it’s gonna be a fun season.”
Besides their goals for their respective seasons, both coaches are looking to improve the lacrosse program. Coach Macalalad recalls that Lincoln used to be a powerhouse when he played lacrosse at Southridge High School from 2005 to 2009, and talks about how he wants to continue to better the program.
“The Lincoln that I knew when I was in high school was always first,” said Macalalad. “I told the [players], the only reason I came here is because [Lincoln] has this amazing culture. [Lincoln] has a bunch of kids that truly believe in this [sport] and work hard each and every day. Now it’s [about] fine-tuning that,” said Macalalad.
Despite recent successes, Coach Collett is working hard to revamp the girls program whose numbers have fallen since the pandemic. Last year they were only able to have one team, though this year the program is projected to grow. The girls team also has only one senior on the roster this year, but Coach Collett is hopeful for the team’s future.
“Our biggest goal right now has been to rebuild our numbers,” said Collett. “We [also] have a young team, but they’ve been playing together for a while. I think what’s most exciting is that we can truly build a program again.”
Both the players and the coaches are excited to be able to play on the new Lincoln field. Senior Shade Goodall is looking forward to playing on the new field and hopes that the proximity of the field will result in more fans attending the lacrosse games.
“We’re here this year, first year [on the field],” said Goodall. Hopefully, we’ll see a bigger turnout [of fans].
