Croyle makes switch look easy

Julia Croyle has hardly had any time to mourn the end of her high school softball career.

Then again, you really can't afford to look back when hard rubber balls are being fired in your direction at frightening rates of speed.

Croyle, a three-time Cape Ann League all-star at catcher for Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School, made the switch from softball to lacrosse this spring when the softball program at school was disbanded due to lack of interest.

In the process, she turned her focus from playing a familiar position in a comfortable endeavor to attacking a brand new sport while learning one of its most difficult positions.

While Croyle willingly accepted the challenge of stepping in front of the cage as a goalie, the decision to change sports wasn't as difficult as it sounds. In truth, the only decision Croyle really made was to pick up a lacrosse stick and give a new sport a chance.

"It was a hard transition at first. I didn't really understand the game at all," Croyle said of lacrosse. "I was just trying to stop as many shots as I could that were coming at me. I had been working with Mr. (Jim) LaSelva (the Hamilton-Wenham boys lax coach) during captain's practices and he kind of helped me understand the basics — the footwork, where I should stand, and how to hold the stick. It was very awkward because a good percentage of shots in lacrosse are going to go in. The majority probably will be goals."

After carefully gauging the interest surrounding the H-W softball program in late winter, Croyle — never one to sit back and take a season off — started thinking about alternatives. Lacrosse was an obvious possibility.

The Generals lacrosse team had a glaring need in goal after the graduation of CAL All-League selection and Boston College recruit Sheila Serafino.

"The lacrosse girls knew softball probably wasn't going to happen and just jokingly they would say, 'You should become the lacrosse goalie,'" Croyle said. "I can't just sit around, so I said I'd try."

Croyle is the type of person who doesn't just put a little effort into something, then give up if it's not going well. Croyle, Hamilton-Wenham's nominee for The Salem News Student-Athlete Award, has built a reputation as a hard worker, and her approach with lacrosse has not tarnished that.

"She got some videos and watched how to be a goalie, and did some work with Coach LaSelva the week before we started," Hamilton-Wenham coach Daphne Faldin said. "Julia's been amazing. I feel bad because I don't get to spend a ton of time with her because I'm the only coach for 20 kids, but she's so tough. She gets hit and you can tell it hurts, but she just shakes it off."

The bruises have built up as she has helped the Generals to a 5-5 start. Although Croyle knows it is a more physically demanding position than playing catcher, there have been some things that she has been able to carry over from one sport to the other.

"A lot of the body positioning was the same and you're trying to stop the ball with a stick, but with bounced shots you're still trying to get your body in front of it," said Croyle, who recently committed to Denison University in Ohio.

"In softball, you're using your body for a ball in the dirt, and that was something that transitioned over. Where to stand and expecting a shot and angling your body was also something familiar from softball."

Speaking of Serafino, she had a pretty solid freshman season at Boston College, and the future looks bright for her and the Eagles. She played in seven games, started two, and made 21 saves on 57 shots.

"Sheila has been a great spark for us," B.C. coach Bowen Holden said earlier this season. "She really gained some quality confidence, especially in the Virginia Tech game (12 saves in a 10-9 win). She's got a long way to go to develop into a Division 1 goalie, but I think she has the pieces in place and has the desire to get better. It's just a matter of time before she gets the confidence to become consistent."

The Tanners, who ended Beverly's long Northeastern Conference win streak a week ago, seem to be a great fit for their new conference, but it also seems possible that they could be a factor in the Division 1 postseason.

"We've finally come back healthy the last couple of games," Peabody coach Kevin Houlden said. "Beverly was a big win for us, and we kept it rolling against a tough Westford team. They had some good wins, beating Lincoln-Sudbury and Acton-Boxboro."

Peabody faces another good test today at Waltham. The Tanners toughest remaining games are against Masconomet, Marblehead, North Andover and Beverly. They could very easily finish with 14 or more wins this season in an 18-game schedule.

More than once this season, you probably had to rub your eyes and look twice at the scores for the Masconomet girls team's results. If it seems like the Chieftains are putting up big numbers, it's because they are.

"There's no difference between first and second string. Whoever goes in is solid," Masconomet head coach Kim Marini said. "Because there is so much talent, even if one of our high scorers doesn't score that much it's fine because anyone else can pick it up."

Sophomore goalie Mckenzie Morris deserves some of the credit for all the goals, according to Marini. Morris has taken control from the back of the defense, often initiating the offense by running the ball upfield after a save.

The Pingree girls will essentially play for the Eastern Independent League title tomorrow when the Highlanders travel to Portsmouth Abbey. The two teams are tied for the conference lead at the moment and in one meeting a year go, they tied. This is the first season Portsmouth Abbey is playing in the EIL.

Lax Lowdown, a column on North Shore high school lacrosse , runs each Tuesday during the spring sports season in The Salem News. Contact staff writer Matt Jenkins at 978-338-2648 or by e-mail at mjenkins@ecnnews.com.

Photos

Hamilton-Wenham goaltender Julia Croyle was a three-time all-star catcher for the softball team before the program folded. She is now the girls lacrosse team's starting goalie. Staff photo