'Cats are Hungry Again as they Get Ready for Another DCL Small Division Title Run

The Weston girls’ lacrosse team surprised big time last year. The Wildcats finished with an 18-4 record, after bowing out to Winchester in the Division 2 North Sectional final. Along the way, Weston upset perennial powerhouses Lincoln Sudbury and Duxbury during the regular season, en route to capturing the Dual County League Small Division title.

The Wildcats lost a few standouts to graduation last spring, including captain and DCL All-Star midfielder Abby D’Angelo, who “was the heart of the team,” Weston head coach Chrissy Swanson said. But Weston still returns in good shape.

“We have a good chance if everything comes together and we play to our potential and with confidence to win the DCL Small again,” Swanson said. “We didn’t lose a lot of starters.”

In her second year at the helm, Swanson couldn’t have asked for a better first season coaching the ‘Cats. But Swanson, a former standout lacrosse player at the University of Pennsylvania, knows her team will be more noticed this year.

“The bigger picture is we got a target on us now. We’re not going to fly under the radar like last we did last year,” the coach said. “We caught a few [teams] by surprise last season. But, I think we’ll hang with them in terms of skill level. We have the potential.”

Weston returns with four talented senior captains in DCL All-Star midfielders Dana White and Lindsay McCabe, fellow midfielder Anna Duffey, and defender/midfielder Sally Plank.  

As midfielders, White and McCabe may not have the stats of an attacker, but “when you watch a game, you notice them,” Swanson said. “They’re workhorses and are major presences. They’re noticeable, everyone knows who they are.”

Duffey also adds speed in the middle; she was, after all, the point guard on this year’s girls’ basketball team, which won its second consecutive DCL Small title.

Plank, meanwhile, played defense last season, but could move to midfield. “She’s shown versatility and has done a nice job in the scrimmages,” Swanson said.

The Wildcats can certainly afford to move Plank into the middle. While Weston will miss last year’s top defender/captain, Lindsay Jarrett, who graduated, the ‘Cats are steeped with strong back liners led by junior Grace McCurdy.

“She’s an excellent defender, does a great job, and has made great plays for us,” Swanson said of McCurdy. “She’s low key about it, but she’s very solid.”

Other defensive talents include seniors Hannah Dodson and Micaela Mone, junior Grace Truscott, and senior newcomers Emily Burress and Taylor Reeves, who moved up from junior varsity.

Offensively, Weston returns with one of the best attackers in the state in junior Emma Dagres, who had a whopping 49 goals and 17 assists last spring, before a late-season injury cut her season short. Dagres made the Dual County League First Team All-Star squad and was named an Eastern Massachusetts Girls Lacrosse Coaches Association Honorable Mention All-Star. “That’s a pretty big deal,” Swanson said of the latter honor. “It puts everyone together in the state.”

Matching Dagres in goals scored with 49 was fellow junior returning standout Julia Meehan, who also led the team with 23 assists. “She’s very fast,” Swanson said. “And she played every game.”

Sophomore Bianca Brueckner will also be a frontrunner on offense. Brueckner was brought up from junior varsity last spring and made huge contributions in Dagres’ absence late in the season and into the tourney.

In goal, the Wildcats have two potential starters in juniors Jaqueline Mone and Christina Warner, replacing graduated DCL All-Star Emily Gosman.

In addition to Gosman and D’Angelo, last year’s third captain, forward Julia Marvel, is the only other starter not returning due to graduation.

Rounding out this year’s cast will be sophomores Piper McCabe, Sarah Peters, Alissa duffey, Hannah Dinardo, and Cara Lembo.

Weston will open the season on the road tomorrow against DCL Small rival Wayland.