The girls’ lacrosse team hasn’t seen consistency in their program in the last four years, but with a strong group of returning players and a new head coach, could the group come together for a deep playoff run this year?
Last year the Bobcats’ season came to an end in the quarterfinal round against a strong Windham team. With the addition of new head coach Morgan Bianco, assistant coach Colleen Keeley and goalie coach Emily Johnson, Oyster River is hoping to have an even better season this spring.
The Bobcats have been adapting well to the new coaching staff. “I think it’s going pretty well. We’re all adapting to the new coach,” says Lily Zehetner (‘25). “She’s very strict but it’s good because it keeps us disciplined.”
Assistant Coach Keeley agrees with this, saying, “I think we’re holding them to a really high standard right now.” Keeley and two of the other coaches played college lacrosse, so they are working to implement some of the routines into the team that they learned at a higher level. “They’ve been really flexible and willing to make these changes,” continues Keeley.
The girls on the team appreciate this new coaching style. “It’s definitely been a pretty natural transition,” adds Eliza Farwell (‘26). “I’ve had three different coaches in three different years and I’m hoping that they stick this year.”
Farwell, who has played both the on-field position and the goalie position, emphasizes the addition of a goalie coach, which Oyster River hasn’t had in past years. “I really appreciate having a goalie coach. I’ve been playing only goalie this year, so it’s nice to have someone who played goalie that actually knows a good warm up and gives genuine tips to make us better. I haven’t gotten a lot of feedback before so it’s nice to learn the more technical side of being a goalie.” This technical feedback will help Farwell and the other goalies when they face off against Division 1 Dover on Friday, April 18th.
Technical goalie feedback isn’t the only thing the Bobcats have been using to prepare for their upcoming games. They have also been putting in a lot of work in practice. “Practices are more intense than they have been in the past,” says Farwell. The team has been preparing with a lot of running and conditioning, and real game scenarios like 7 on 7 while focusing on specific roles.
Keeley notes, “we’ve been doing a lot to build up each role, attack defense midfield, people who take the draw, and goalies and since we don’t have a distinct junior varsity team we’re all just practicing together.” She adds, “we’ve been breaking off into groups and focusing on attack and defense, and then taking those skills and focusing in on and bringing them into scrimmage scenarios.”
Keeley and the other coaches have also been focusing on team culture this preseason. “We’ve definitely been able to have some fun moments and that shows the respect and fun amongst the coaches and players.”
The Bobcats hope that their connections off the field can translate in games. Ashling Ferris (‘28) says, “we’ve had a lot of fun practices where we’re just bonding and getting to trust each other as a team.” Zehetner adds, “a big part of our play is knowing each other.”
Oyster River is hoping to have another successful season this year. “We just want to do the best we can and have a good season,” says Zehetner.
The Bobcats are excited for Friday when they face off against Dover on their home turf at 4:30. Be sure to go out to the turf to cheer them on.
-Olivia Andersen
images courtesy of Madelyn Marthouse
Mouth of the River 
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