This year, the Morgan girls’ Lacrosse team is offering a winter league lacrosse based out of the Wide World of Indoor Sports in Montville, Connecticut. Session 1, which begins on Sunday, November 10th already has a set roster and the registration has closed. However, session 2, which begins January 12th and runs until March 9th still has spots for registration open and involvement is encouraged.
Last year, for the first time, the Morgan girls Lacrosse team was offered the opportunity to participate in a winter league. Last year, winter league was organized by a senior at the time, Ava Schmidt, a player and soon-to-be captain. Ava felt inclined to look into this league for the girls when she saw some boys from the Morgan boys Lacrosse team participating in it. Ava said, “I wanted to give all the freshmen a chance to meet the girls that were already on the team, as well as it being a good bonding opportunity for everyone as well.”
Karyn O’Beirn, the Guidance Administrative Assistant at the Morgan school, and also the mother of a sophomore lacrosse player, offered to be Ava’s communication with the sports center to make this happen. Mrs. O’Beirn said, “It is great for the girls to get together in the off-season without the pressure that comes with the normal season.” She also expressed her gratitude, saying, “I am truly grateful to have been asked to be a part of this.”
The league is based out of Montville, held in the Wide World of Indoor Sports. The total cost to register a team is $1425, which is cost-effective, with each roster consisting of a maximum of 18 players. Each team has 8 scheduled games, beginning on November 10th and going to December 29th. The playoffs are held on January 5th which all teams attend, but it is held in a tournament style. If you lose, you no longer play.
Due to the CIAC ruling, Bill Lindsay, the Morgan girls’ Lacrosse coach, is not allowed to coach these games. Therefore, another coach was asked to step in, John Madura. Madura’s daughter and son, Maeve and Ethan both played lacrosse for Morgan and are now both playing at a college level. Maeve committed to Wesleyan last spring and is now a freshman, and Ethan is a Junior at Emmanuel. Madura coached last year as his daughter was participating and due to his involvement last year, he was asked again to fulfill the position again. When asked why he wanted to coach again, Madura said, “It’s a great chance for the girls to pick up their sticks and get to know the new players.” He shared that the most important part of Winter League is to have fun, not win.
Last year, all the players that signed up were allowed to play for the team before the season and arguably, it may have helped the team. Comparatively, in the 2024 season, the team held a 9-9 record, 9 wins, 9 losses. Although it may not sound like the best record, in 2023 the team held a 5-13 record, 5 wins, 13 losses. This year, Junior, Abby Stack seized the opportunity to continue this for her team, again with the help of Karyn O’Beirn.
Stack plays attack on the Morgan Girls Lacrosse team and has been a part of this team since she was a freshman. She knew that many girls wanted to participate in lacrosse during the off-season and wanted to make sure the girls had the opportunity to participate in it this year. Abby feels this is an opportunity for team bonding and to get an idea of the sport before the Morgan season, saying, “I want everyone to have fun and get a chance to pick up their sticks before the spring.” She also expressed her desire to, “make sure new people joining get a chance to play and bond with the team so that no one has any doubts before the season starts.”
Sophomore Hernika Singh plays as a defender on the Morgan Girls Lacrosse team and she said that as a freshman last year, “Winter league was a very fun experience, I was able to get used to playing lacrosse again which was helpful as it got me back into the groove before the season started.”
