The Montclair State University women’s lacrosse team is back in the postseason for the first time in three seasons.
Coming off of a rough 4-11 record last season, the Red Hawks have done a complete 180 with an 8-5 record heading into the postseason. According to the head coach Nicol Parceluzzi, a lot of the team’s newfound success has been attributed to a solid blend of newfound and veteran talent.
“We were very young last season and had a lot of injuries,” Coach Parceluzzi said. “We have gained experience, added some amazing talent in our first year players and have worked hard all year to change last season’s outcome.”
One of those talented first year players is attacker Kaeley Sek from Pompton Lakes, New Jersey. As a freshman, Sek has recorded the second most goals on the team with 33 and is third on the team in points scored.
Freshman midfielder and attacker Kyra Morena has also been a nice contributor to the team – adding 10 goals of her own.
Alongside the stellar play from the youth of the team, the veterans have stepped up and showed out. One of those veterans is junior attacker Chelsea Stack.
Stack has had an impressive season for the Red Hawks. She finished top three on the team in goals and ranked first in points and assists.
On April 16, Stack made history, setting a program record for assists in a game with 11 in a win against Ramapo. Stack gave praise to her teammates for helping her achieve the historic feat.
“I told my teammates after the game that assists is a stat that can’t be done without your teammates, so it’s been really special to work with a talented group of people,” Stack said. “If it weren’t for them, I would not be able to have stats like that, so I think that’s really big.”
This combination of old and new school flavor has been one of the keys to success this season.
Another key that has led to the team’s overall success is the change in their defensive scheme. Sophomore defender Danielle De Jesus highlighted what those changes were.
“Last year we played man to man defense, and this year we played a zone,” De Jesus said.
This change has proven to be a success as the Red Hawks have only given up 139 goals on the season, opposed to 229 the year prior.
After a tough loss to end the season against Rowan University, the Red Hawks will take on The College of New Jersey in the first round of the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) playoffs Wednesday.
