AMHERST – The local girls’ lacrosse landscape should get a collective shot in the arm from one team’s bit of summer fun.
The Westfield 2 Owls’ girls’ lacrosse team recently participated in the Cheetah Challenge, taking on seven teams in a two-day tournament. Westfield competed against teams such as the Wolfpack, Heros 2017, Jade Green, Mass Elite Red, Mass Elite White, and Team Evo 7/8.
Many of the players from the Westfield 2 Owls played for Westfield girls’ lacrosse this past spring, along with a few others from surrounding towns. Their coach, Rick Gendreau, and three other coaches put together this team for the opportunity to play in a summer tournament against club teams from Massachusetts and Connecticut. Westfield State University’s women’s lacrosse coach Jeff Pechhulis, Mark Buchanan, and Gary O’Grady also part of the elite coaching staff.
Although weather was hot and muggy, the Westfield 2 Owls played exceptional against other club teams who have been playing with each other for a much longer period of time.
“It was great for the seventh and eighth graders,” Gendreau said. “It was a great challenge for them to play against premier skills from club teams all the way from Boston and Maryland, and surrounding states. Our players had a great time playing some of those other times.”
The Westfield 2 Owls was comprised of Marissa Otero, Olivia Chaoush, Katherine Kalill, Kiele Bryant, Gwen Smith, Shayna Buchanan, Kiele Buchanan, Carly Paluck, Kaitlyn Moran, Gracie Phillips, and Hannah Jarvis, all of Westfield, as well as Jordan Budaj (Dalton), Cassie St. Jean (West Springfield), Jennifer Scibelli (West Springfield).
