THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JUNE 18, 2021 Page 13 Saugus lacrosse teams close out season By Greg Phipps T he Saugus High School boys– lacrosse team completed a difficult but educational 2021 season with a loss at Beverly on Monday. The Sachems earned two victories this spring – both against Salem – and look forward to making progress and taking the lessons they’ve learned this year into the 2022 campaign. The Sachems fell by a 16-1 count in Monday’s season finale. The team, which finished 2-11 overall, suffered through a number of games with similar outcomes this season, but the young squad demonstrated improvement that doesn’t necessarily show up on the scoreboard. In his eighth year as head coach, Rob Scuzzarella cited the lost season in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic led to the shutdown of the spring sports season. A host of solid seniors and younger players were unable to compete and thus develop their skills. “We had almost no varsity experience coming into this year, unfortunately,” Scuzzarella said in a press interview earlier this season. “I was high on our senior class from 2020. In fact, I think last year’s group was probably the deepest team we’ve ever had in program history, and it’s really unfortunate that we didn’t get to show it.” Saugus forward Cam Zabroski charged around a Beverly defender in Monday’s season finale. Saugus’s Andrew Cipriano closed in on a Beverly ballhandler on Monday. Saugus player Nick DiVola battled for ball possession on this faceoff against Beverly. undergraduate players from being able to bond sooner as a team. “I think we’ve been struggling with that this year,” he explained. “It’s been hard to develop that camaraderie that I think we’d already have if we had a season last year.” Girls finish with four wins The Saugus girls’ lacrosse Saugus captain Devon Burke won a physical battle in Monday’s loss at Beverly. This season, Saugus was led by veteran players and co-captains Devon Burke, Andrew Cipriano and Nick DiVola. Also adding to the leadership was the exciting play of goalie Kevin McMaster, who performed splendidly under trying circumstances. He amassed an average of over 15 saves per game. Scuzzarella said one downfall from last season’s cancellation was that it prevented the team notched four victories this season. The most recent was an 8-5 triumph over Northeast Metro Tech last Friday. The Sachems were aided mightily by four goals from Kali Penachio and two each from Haley McLaughlin and Sara Rovcanin. Saugus lost its season finale to Beverly, 14-2, on Monday. McLaughlin scored both tallies for the Sachems, who finished the season at 4-11. Saugus graduates five seniors from the team. They are Katie Polanco, Daniela Marquez, Nadine Taboubi, Salma Rahmouni and McLaughlin. Saugus goalie Kevin McMaster rushed upfield against Beverly in Monday’s season finale. Mission from Mars By Gini Pariseau I n a conversation not long ago, I asked a man where he was from. He told me he was from Mars originally but had moved on. Having originally been from Venus and moved on myself, I was fascinated to hear about his journey. He told me Mars was a starting point in his Map Quest of life. Fatherhood was the vehicle that catapulted him off the planet and it took him to a place he had never known existed. For the first time in his life, he fastened his seat belt. From the moment he beheld that extension of himself he realized that Mars would probably not be a habitable place for him anymore. Mars offered selfish awareness, the supposed liberation of an unplanned future and a day-to-day existence that required little emotion and plenty of instant gratification. Fatherhood, from the moment this man was awarded the title, was a vehicle that burst forward at whiplash speed. He cruised through inspiring territories of awareness and being. To this very special man, “that moment” crowned him with responsibility. Winning was never again to be determined in innings or goals or yards. On Mars, winning was the epitome of every endeavor or challenge. Fatherhood changed all that. Now it wasn’t a matter of winning. Rather, it was the hope that when all was MISSION | SEE PAGE 16
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