Murphy wasn’t satisfied
Bronco sophomore was driving force behind unbeaten season
BURRILLVILLE — The move had no bearing on the outcome of the Division III semifinal blowout win over Ponaganset, but it was skill that showed Burrillville sophomore middie Samantha Murphy wasn’t satisfied with just winning.
The Burrillville sophomore face-off maven had been winning face-offs all season because of her athleticism and strength, but in last month’s semifinal, she showed she’s starting to master her craft, as she was directing face-offs to freshman Jenna Forrest to ignite Bronco attacks.
Murphy is the 2021 Call/Times Girls Lacrosse MVP not only for her work in the face-off circle, but also for her 26 goals, 10 assists and team-high 31 defensive clearances for the undefeated Division III champion Broncos.
“I viewed it as a push-pull thing and it’s like a lever, but I always tried to get the ball to Jenna,” Murphy said. “Teams started to realize I liked to go to her and put both of their players on her side and I would just flip to the other side.”
“She stepped up,” Burrillville coach Jen Polacek said. “She puts in the work and she’s always trying her hardest to help the team win. She’s a great girl and a good friend to all the girls on the team. She’s a great student and all around a great person.”
Murphy and the Broncos were only tested once this season – they fell behind No. 2 Toll Gate by three goals in the first five minutes of the D-III final – but that will not be the case next season. Burrillville, which returns every varsity player, is headed to Division II to take on more established programs like Bay View, Lincoln, Narragansett and Rocky Hill.
Murphy is embracing the challenge and she knows she’s going to have to add new elements to her game to make sure she stays a step ahead of the competition.
“I still think I need to spread the field more and work on switching my hands,” Murphy said. “I always say I’m going to do it, but I never do it. If I can switch from my right hand to my left hand, it would just open up the field so much and make it tougher on the defense. I need to do everything more with my left hand.
“And as a team, I’m really excited to go to D-II because we really didn’t get to see any competition. We’ll find out how good we really are.”
Murphy – and the rest of the Broncos – started playing together in second grade in Burrillville Youth Lacrosse, and it only took her a few years to realize she could be pretty good at the sport.
“All my friends were doing it, so I just wanted to start playing, but I started to realize I was pretty good at it in fourth grade,” Murphy said. “Every time I got the ball I just ran toward the other goal and I was like ‘This is not too bad.’”
The team stayed together through middle school and they were looking forward to testing their mettle at the RIIL level last year, but the pandemic robbed them of that opportunity. Instead of sulking, Murphy went to work on becoming a better player. She spent the pandemic practicing in the backyard with her younger brother and her father, Fred, who is a boys coach in Burrillville Youth Lacrosse.
Murphy focused her practice on shooting, especially quick shots around the goal. The hard work paid off because Murphy was the second-leading goal scorer on a team full of talented attacks.
In the Division III final, Murphy and the Bronco midfield was run over in the opening five minutes as the Titans scored the game’s first three goals, but it didn’t take the sophomore very long to find a rhythm. She started winning face-offs and that ignited a rampant Bronco attack, as Burrillville secured its first girls lacrosse team.
“It just felt so good to win the title after not playing last year,” Murphy said. “It was so nerve-wracking at the beginning, but it was great to have a challenge and find a way to win.”
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Meghan Hartwell, Senior, Defender Cumberland High School
It was a challenging season for the rebuilding Clippers in Division I, but Hartwell stood tall in the back line, as she was one of the team’s leaders in turnovers and ground balls.
“Although it was a tough season, she held her head high and constantly pushed the girls around her to go all out,” Cumberland coach Erin Gendreau said. “I was confident to play her [and Marley Turnbull] on the best players on the other team and they did not disappoint.”
Marley Turnbull, Senior, Defender Cumberland High School
Just like Hartwell, Turnbull was a big reason the Clippers were competitive in early-season games against Narragansett and Mt. Hope. Turnbull was one of the team’s go-to players in collecting ground balls and creating turnovers.
“Our defense was disciplined and worked extremely hard and it’s thanks to those two girls,” Gendreau said. “They held together and led the defense.”
Miimie DaCosta, Senior, Attack Lincoln High School
DaCosta was a big reason the Lions went undefeated two season ago and she helped nurture a young squad through a difficult Division II campaign. DaCosta, who is headed to Division II Dominican College in the fall, scored 10 goals for the Lions this season.
Kate Zonin, freshman, attack North Smithfield High School
In just her first year in high school, Zonin is already a two-time All-Area selection after leading the Northmen girls soccer team to the Division II semifinals. This spring, Zonin was a big reason the Northmen were just a few goals away from the Division III semifinals, as she recorded a team-high 50 goals to go along with five assists.
“Kate is just a freshman and she has a lot of success in front of her,” North Smithfield coach Courtney Lambrese said.
Thao Ngugen, senior, middie North Smithfield High School
Nguyen was a steadying presence in the midfield for the Northmen, as the senior recorded 30 goals and four assists for a squad that finished fourth in Division III during the regular season. The Northmen won as many games (eight) this season as the squad won in its first five seasons combined.
“Thao has so much athletic talent, but what gets overlooked with her is her work ethic,” Lambrese said. “It’s unmatched.”
Regan Polacek, junior, goalie Burrillville High School
Polacek was incredible all season, but her contributions went overlooked because the Division III champion Broncos blew out nearly every opponent. That wasn’t the case in the D-III final against Toll Gate when Polacek was her team’s best player for long stretches as the young Broncos came back from a three-goal deficit to win the program’s first title.
In 17 games – all victories – Polacek had a 2.8 goals against average with 45 saves on 62 shots.
“She put in the extra work and the extra practice because she loves the game,” said Jen Polacek, the Broncos coach and Regan’s mother. “I was very proud of her for what she did in the final. Her confidence was there all game and it was incredible to see the way she played.”
Madeline LaSata, sophomore, attack Burrillville High School
On a team that scored lots of goals, LaSata was the go-to finisher. The talented sophomore not only led the Division III champions with 32 goals during the regular season, but she also added a team-high 25 assists. LaSata delivered impressive performances in the D-III quarterfinal win over Cranston East and the semifinal demolition of Ponaganset.
“Overall, she’s a great passer,” Polacek said. “She can read where everyone is going to be and she’s going to make the right decision. She’s our behind-the-net player and she’s been playing that position since middle school for us. She knows when to cut and go for the goal.”
Emily Allard, sophomore, defense Burrillville High School
If there was a ground ball there was a good chance Allard or her hockey teammate Allie Trimble was going to hoover it up. The Division III champion Broncos didn’t need a strong defense to win the title, but they still had one thanks to the play of Allard. The sophomore gobbled up a team-high 25 ground balls for a squad that went undefeated.
“She played high defense for us because we controlled the ball so much and she just did a great job helping our offense by picking up ground balls,” Polacek said. “We let her play up there because we knew she could do her job defensively, while also control the game in the middle.
Jenna Forrest, freshman, middie Burrillville High School
Forrest had no trouble adjusting to life in high school, as she seemed to get better when the games became more important. The freshman was third on the team with 16 goals during the regular season and she also added three assists. She was also third on the team with 15 ground balls and she was second with 21 defensive clearances.
“Being a freshman, she played great,” Polacek said. “I think she was a little nervous early on, but she figured it out and knew where she was supposed to be. Overall, she’s a great athlete and if she keeps putting the work in, she’s going to become a really good player.”