With plenty of new faces, will the RIIL girls lacrosse results be the same this season?
Don’t expect the script for the 2024 Rhode Island Interscholastic League Girls Lacrosse season to change much from last spring.
All four divisions remain in tact, minus Division IV champion Mount St. Charles, playing in its final RIIL season and moving up to Division III while Johnston slides down to Division IV.
While the other lower division winners, North Kingstown and Bay View, seem content to stay put and chase titles, we’re heading toward what could end up being a predictable spring.
The biggest question is how will some of the state’s small schools rebound after a terrific season last year. With a deep senior class, East Greenwich was the surprise of 2023 in its run to the state title game. The story was the same for Burrillville, one of the smallest schools in Division II, which lost to a school that's more than twice as large in North Kingstown. North Smithfield fell short of trying to claim a Division IV title, but as the second-smallest school in the division, behind Scituate, the Northmen should remain in the mix.
The story of Division I is simple — it’s Moses Brown’s world and everyone else is living in it. Last year, the Quakers were as close to rebuilding as they ever will be, but their young roster was immensely talented and they’re more than capable of running it back in 2024. Who they play in the title game will be the big question, but expect to see the usual suspects, Barrington, La Salle, as the favorites to get there.
On size alone, North Kingstown should run away with the Division II title. Burrillville was hit hard by graduation but the culture of winning that’s been put in place isn’t going away. Chariho is an interesting team, and keep an eye out for Middletown and Cumberland as well.
Bay View is another team that should run away with a title. The Bengals are clearly the favorite in Division III and with how they play defensively, would have been a contender in D-II. Small-school Narragansett has a number of strong returners who will be angry after earning the No. 1 seed and then getting bounced in the semifinals. East Providence’s program has turned around, but it will be interesting to see whether or not the Townies can come together after coach Haley McCusker left he program that she had put on the right path. Westerly might be next up after those three, but the Bulldogs are young and talented and could end up winning the whole thing.
Is this the year North Smithfield finally gets it done? The Northmen will be the favorites entering the season and Johnston, the division’s newcomer,, should be in the conversation as well. Scituate’s program is growing and the Spartans may be the team others forget about until its too late. Classical has some athletes on the field, so don’t be surprised if they struggle early as they build chemistry before coming on strong late.
Which players will lead these teams? The state is as deep as its ever been in girls lacrosse talent, which made it easy to find players to watch but impossibly difficult to narrow it down to a nice round number.
Here are the 10 players we think are among the best in the state, crucial for their team’s hopes or a combination of both:
Julianna Casey, Lincoln School
Attack, Junior
There’s going to be a serious battle for the final state championship game spot, and with the way Casey plays, there’s no reason the Lynx can’t find a way to make it happen. Casey has all the necessary requirements to be an elite scorer — speed, athleticism, stick skills — but her bulldog mentality separates her and is why Lincoln School is a dark horse in Division I this spring.
Hannah Seltzer, Westerly
Attack, Senior
After a bounce-back season last spring, Seltzer and the Bulldogs will be chasing a title this spring. With a young roster, Seltzer will be a leader the team can look to when times get tough, but she can do a lot more. Seltzer will be a centerpiece of Westerly’s dynamic offensive attack that might see them finish as the top scoring team in Division III.
Chaia Elwell, Chariho
Attack, Senior
Elwell was a star on last year’s Chargers’ team that finished tied for first in the regular season before falling in the semifinals, but this year you can expect more. Elwell will be Chariho’s No. 1 offensive option, and in a Division II that saw a lot of elite senior talent graduate, it could be a big year for the Southern Connecticut State-bound Elwell and the Chargers.
Anna Lombardi, Barrington
Midfield, Senior
Lombardi took a step from important piece to a championship puzzle as a sophomore to one of the state’s best players last spring and the sky is the limit in her senior season. Lombardi will be asked to shoulder the load, but based on how she’s performed in big games, there’s no doubt Lombardi can handle it before she heads off to play at Division I Virginia Commonwealth.
Charley Lagor, Moses Brown
Defense, Junior
All Lagor’s done her first two seasons for the Quakers is become one of the best, if not the best, defensive players in Rhode Island. Lagor’s speed and athleticism have allowed her to quiet the state’s best scorers and you can expect Moses Brown to take advantage of her talents once again as they go out in search of their second straight state championship.
Lilly Madeira, Moses Brown
Attack, Junior
Madeira was in the middle of an All-State season before an injury took her off the field, but once she got back, it was a return to form. Madeira, who has verbally committed to play at Stony Brook, will be the focal point for Moses Brown’s offense and she very well might be the best offensive player in the state. That bodes well for the Quakers as they try to win another state title.
Sylvia Mayo, Prout
Midfield, Senior
It can be difficult to be noticed on a team that struggled to win games, but Mayo’s talents are hard to ignore. The Old Dominion-bound senior earned her first All-State spot last spring and with her impressive athleticism and nose for the ball, Mayo will remain as one of the state’s best offensive players, even with each opponent’s defensive game plan focused on stopping her.
Kate Shields, Bay View
Goalie, Senior
Shields has everything one needs to be a great goalie — athleticism, size, technique, reflexes and fearlessness — and she showed it during the Bengals’ overtime win against East Providence in the Division III title game. In her final season before heading to Oregon, expect more of the same from Shields as she tries to close her career with another crown.
Hannah West, Moses Brown
Midfield, Senior
With two Second-Team All-State selections, West has had a terrific career for the Quakers, but expect her final season to be her finest. Few play with the tenacity West possesses and there aren’t many who see the field as well as the St. Bonaventure-bound senior. West will be the glue that holds Moses Brown together as it tries to win another state title.
Kate Zonin, North Smithfield
Midfield, Senior
Is this the year Zonin and the Northmen break through? After two title game losses — one in Division III, last year in Division IV — no team will be more determined to win a title than North Smithfield. Expect Zonin to show off her speed, athleticism and playmaking ability and play with an extra edge as one of D-IV’s top offensive threats.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: A preview of the 2024 Rhode Island high school girls lacrosse season
