At 3-0, Melrose is dominating top teams
Published in the April 13, 2018 edition
By JENNIFER GENTILE
MELROSE—The Melrose Red Raider lacrosse team looks to be the team to beat after three convincing wins, two against Div. 1 teams, in the opening week of season, efforts that have seen Melrose outscoring opponents 42-15 in three games.
Melrose defeated Lexington 15-3 to start their season on April 4 at home. It was a particularly strong game for new players David Soto (in charge of faceoffs) and sophomore standout, Brendan Maher, and another excellent job at the net by returning junior goalie, Matt Rocha.
Jack Wells lead Melrose in goals, with four over the day.
THE MELROSE Red Raider lacrosse team is 3-0 after taking down Lexington, Arlington and Acton-Boxborough this week. (file photo)
“It’s always good to beat a great team like Lexington,” says Melrose head coach Matt James. “It took a lot of work from our whole team, especially our defense.”
But Melrose’s 12-6 win over Acton-Boxborough on Monday was all the more impressive, as the Colonials are a state-ranked team who reached the Div. 1 North finals last season.
“This was a ‘next level’ kind of win,” says coach James. “It made a statement as to where we are as a team. Acton-Boxborough is no joke—they’re a very talented team who are ranked 8th in the state. We played incredible and I’m really proud of the team.”
Melrose held a 3-1 lead after the first, thanks to stellar goaltending work by junior Matt Rocha. “Matt had a really strong second quarter and was able to limit goals,” says James. “He had a great game.”
Jack Wells led with 4 goals and 3 assists, while freshman Brendan Fennell added three. Fennell has already scored seven goals in two games, a rarity for a freshmen. “Brendan has played unbelievable, as have so many of our new players, and I really credit Jack [Wells] who pushes him and the rest of our offense.”
Other new faces who are wowing in their early season are Brendan Maher and David Soto. “David is just killing it on face offs,” says his coach. Meanwhile Maher and teammate Christian Nyland also represent Melrose’s skilled youth. Says James, “These players came varsity-ready, already making an impact.”
But it was Cam Rosie who proved the game changer against Acton-Boxboro. Rosie was manned with the task of defending Brown-commit Jake Erikson, who has never been held scoreless until he was Monday, a feat that earned Rosie Player-of-the-Game rights. “Cam was the real factor for us, he was incredible on defense.”
In fact, their defensive unit has shown tremendous power in the team’s two outings. Players like Rosie, Lou Izzi and Will Pzegeo are taking the game to another level. “They are out of control good out there,” says the coach. “They are athletic, skilled and smart. Even if they make the slightest mistake they know exactly how to make up for it quickly.”
Melrose kept the good times rolling on Tuesday when they traveled to Arlington to take on the Spy Ponders and beat them by a good measure, 13-6. It was another solid effort by Dave Soto. According to coach James, his ball control proved to be the key to victory. “He won about 80% of his faceoffs and his control of the ball was critical to our success. So proud of him,” says James.
Melrose looks to continue their winning streak this week when they take on opponents such as Woburn and Beverly. Coach James feels this is the start of something special. “We’re confident we can keep this going. We keep a very competitive schedule on purpose so we can be playoff ready. And we hope this season is proof of that.”
