Nyala ’14 watches intently from the goal as her teammates struggle to defend the relentless attacker from Culver City High School. Her grip on her stick tightens; she aligns the stick with the direction that the ball is traveling, but only sheer focus and a bit of luck will stop the ball from entering her kingdom. She blocks it.

“Goalie was a position that no one really wanted to do. So I thought if someone needs to do it, it might as well be me,” Nyala said. “I liked having this position because I saw everything that was happening on the field. It’s nice because you see your team improving.”

From losing every game last year to currently holding a record of four wins, Marlborough’s Varsity lacrosse team has markedly improved. Nyala recounted the highlights of the season.

The team’s fierce game against Culver City High School on Apr. 17 was one to remember. Because the score remained close until the whistle’s last shriek, Marlborough’s 9-8 victory proved that no matter how close a game seems, with perseverance and effort, the team can pull ahead. According to Nyala, this tough victory boosted the morale of the team and got everyone excited for future games.

Another well-earned victory was against Santa Monica High School on Apr. 23. After Marlborough beat them during their first match-up, the members of the Santa Monica team were more aggressive than before and determined to come out on top.

“We made sure they didn’t make any comeback. They tried many careless shots on goal, only careless because our defense was really strong that day. They made sure the shots were weak and easy for me to block,” Nyala reminisced.

This aggression of the sport surfaced during the Downey High School match on Apr. 25 when Izzy’15 nearly sustained a concussion, a season-ending injury. Megan’14 suffered bloody knuckles after being checked in the hands by a Downey player’s stick, and Jackie’14 broke a finger after being hit in the hand by a stick.

“The only reason why they started to get aggressive was because we were giving them competition. We were starting to come back and were actually ahead for a short period of time,” Nyala said.

Like many sports, lacrosse requires mental and physical strength. During Marlborough’s first game against Santa Monica High School, which Marlborough won 15-2, Tringali-Carbado was taunted with racist remarks by Santa Monica High School students while defending the goal.

“They were saying ‘Do you want fried chicken? I’ll buy you fried chicken if you step out of the goal.’ ‘Can I have your number? Can you turn around so that I can see your face? Actually the view from here is just fine.’ Then they started yelling, ‘KKK! White supremacy!’ I knew that if I gave them any reaction, I would have been kicked off the field and, without a goalie, the lacrosse game is basically over,” Tringali-Carbado said.

Hannah’14 got redcarded and dismissed from the game for screaming at the boys who were taunting Nyala. According to Nyala, the team had her back through everything, played its best, and made her proud to be a member.

Libby ’15 voiced her excitement for the sport and her enthusiasm to continue with the team.

“Despite the fact that this season has been difficult at times, I am very excited for next year and think that if we continue to practice over the summer, we’ll do really well. Our team has already improved so much this year,” Libby said.