May 9, 2025
By Joseph Brennen
Staff Writer
With a 7-4 record as of May 8, the lacrosse team has its sights set on a winning season.
The team began its season on a positive note with a 7-6 victory at an away game at Weehawken High School on April 2.
Junior defender Malakai Hope, who is in his third year on varsity, said this was a significant game.
“We had a lot of teamwork [and] we passed the ball around,” Hope said. “[It was] pretty much the best lacrosse we’ve played all year.”
Looking ahead at the remainder of the season, Hope said the players are focused on improving.
“We need to work on really transitioning the ball from defense to offense,” Hope said.
He said the freshmen and sophomores are essential to the team’s success.
“We expect a lot from the underclassmen since they make up a big part of the team and get a lot of playing time,” Hope said.
Senior midfielder Michael Cutola, who has been on the lacrosse team for four years, said the team is losing opportunities because of penalties.
“We keep our heads up and play as hard as possible until that final buzzer goes off.”
“[We are] trying to limit our penalties [by] being smarter in the game and having more of a cool head,” Cutola said.
He said teamwork is an important aspect of the sport.
“There’s lots of communication and trust that you have to have in one another and yourself to produce what you need to win a game,” Cutola said.
The team, which is co-oped with North Arlington High School, has 20 players on its roster this year, compared to 17 last year. Cutola said this increase in participation has helped the team.
“It’s better for the program because we’re getting more people to join and expanding it,” Cutola said. “As a team, we have more rotations for the game and have more opportunities for people.”
Junior midfielder Alex DiMase, who is in his third year on varsity, said the team can do a better job of picking up ground balls.
“It just hasn’t been our specialty to start the season, but [Head] Coach Amato continues to have us practice ground balls and help the team be better,” DiMase said.
He said the team’s determination has contributed to its achievements.
“The team doesn’t give up even when we may be down big,” DiMase said. “We keep our heads up and play as hard as possible until that final buzzer goes off.”
DiMase said the team is aiming to finish the season strong.
“[Our] goals are just to win as many games as we can and continue to have fun and play our game,” said DiMase.
