Bridgewater-Raynham girls lacrosse is led by its new captain, and she's only a sophomore
BRIDGEWATER — Bridgewater-Raynham High sophomore Emily Keefe has had quite the April for the girls lacrosse team.
That continued on Wednesday, as she poured in five goals in a 19-4 win over Rockland. A week prior, against these same Bulldogs, she scored seven goals in an 18-6 victory.
On Tuesday, the attack was named a captain for the Trojans.
“It’s definitely a cool feeling, midway through the season as well,” Keefe said of being named a captain. “Also being a sophomore captain is really cool.”
Keefe is a relative newbie to the sport, first picking up a stick in seventh grade. From then on she fell in love with lacrosse, playing it all year round. She now plays club lacrosse for Laxachusetts.
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“She’s extremely dedicated, plays year-round, plays club and goes to various clinics, never missed a practice,” said B-R coach William O’Connell. “(She has) started every game as a freshman and every game as a sophomore.”
Keefe’s quick climb through the ranks wasn’t done all on her own. She was quick to highlight the girls on the team that built her up.
“(Senior captain) Sophia Perry and Sofia O’Reilly, they both take me under their wing,” said Keefe. “And (senior captain) Sage Balsamo -- I played field hockey with her and she’s really just guided me through everything.”
Sophomore attack Erin Rennie also led the scoring charge on Wednesday with five goals. The strong play of the younger players is what makes the Trojans a threat. Rennie and Keefe have a strong connection when the ball is near the net.
“I love her,” Keefe said of Rennie. “We played club together for a while, so there's a little chemistry there. And we do things outside B-R, so it’s kind of cool.”
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A big part of the younger girls' development perhaps could be credited to timing. The seniors had to face a pandemic in high school, which canceled the 2020 spring season.
“I think they were less affected by COVID than some of the older high school girls,” O’Connell said of lacrosse development. “So they were in middle school at that time. They were able to remain sharp; this sophomore class is really strong for us.”
Other Trojans to score were senior captain Olivia Quinlan (three), Perry (two), Ellie Woods, Madi Moreau, Balsamo and Sydney O’Donnell.
The underclassmen do a lot of the scoring, but the defense of the Trojans consists of mostly upperclassmen. Players such as O’Reilly, Balsamo, Quinlan, Corrina Walsh, Isabelle Menconi and Jessie Connors are all seniors on defense that helped to only allow four goals.
“We have a lot of girls in our senior class,” said O’Connell. “We have nine players. A lot of them played defense, it’s a great group. The morale is good. Three of our captains are seniors and they do a good job.”
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The Trojans move to 2-6 on the season, with their only wins coming against Rockland. B-R has leadership, but also inexperience. Keefe, as a sophomore captain, now will be asked to provide some of that leadership. She’s up for the challenge, saying her job is "just to provide as much help on the team as I can and to be a motivating person on and off the field."
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Emily Keefe leading charge for Bridgewater-Raynham High girls lacrosse
