With the coming of spring, girls varsity lacrosse is vowing to “rise up” this year to meet the challenge of competing without several graduated seniors and of being moved into Division I.
Harvard resident Dave Planchet is returning to his third year as head coach of the team that successfully advanced to the state championship in his first year and to the district championships in his second.
Planchet explained in a recent interview that he is “very excited for the upcoming season, despite Mother Nature throwing us a curveball,” he said, referring to the recent blizzard. “It’s a new era for Bromfield girls varsity lacrosse.”
There is an “undercurrent,” whispering, in the league, said Planchet, that with the loss of heavy hitters like Sophia Turchetta, Bromfield will be a weaker team in the upcoming season. However, he expressed confidence in the new team. “We have a tremendous amount of young talent, and I think they have potential to do as many great things as teams in the past have done,” he said.
Seniors Meaghan Parlee and Kaeli Armstrong are back as captains. Juniors Chandler Farley, Anita Childers, and goalie Emily Podgorni return as well. Planchet said that although the team had lost its top scorer, Turchetta, it returns with all of its other top scorers.
Each year, the team picks a tagline that serves to both motivate and inspire. This year, it’s “rise up.” And, as Planchet jokingly noted, “We created it before all these political groups.” He said, “There is this feeling … throughout the league that because some of our seniors graduated, they’re now going to see a downturn in Bromfield. So we’re using this to indicate that we’re rising up to the challenge.”
Thanks to strong performances in the past two years, Bromfield has been moved up to Division I, a league primarily filled with schools more than twice its size. “It’s going to give us more competition. And it’s going to challenge us. And this may mean we forgo some traditional wins we’ve had, but I do think it will better prepare us for the state tournament run, and that’s what we really need,” said Planchet.
Planchet added, “If the team works hard and comes together, I think they have the talent to get there [states]. But we have to work hard and build upon our skill week after week. We won’t be looking for early season success but to be ready in June to make a run to states.”
Planchet concluded, “We’re a program that now has over 44 lacrosse players. We’ve grown this program from 15 to 44 in the last four years. We’re very young, very talented, and I’m expecting great things from this year and many more years to come. This is a new beginning for us all, and I’m excited for the challenge.”
Kate Selig is a Bromfield sophomore.
