If Ava Perrotta needs to figure out a major when she heads to UMass Lowell next fall, pre-law has to be under consideration.
Or maybe marketing.
The Central Catholic senior expertly constructed her argument and sold the field hockey program brilliantly to her softball teammates, Olivia Moeckel and Caitlin Milner.
The 2-0-1 Raiders are cashing in.
“Definitely, I talked them into it. I love both of them so much. They have always stuck out as athletes all-around. I thought coming back to field hockey would be a perfect match, to finish their years off,” said Perrotta, the three-year starting goalie for the Raiders.
“I was definitely excited. I told them they would be such great assets in field hockey, pushing everyone to be the best players they can and just creating more competition in practice and on the field. They’ve proven that so far.”
All three girls have been cornerstones for the Central softball program over the past three years as the Raiders emerged as a powerhouse on a statewide level.
And while the trio had foundations set early in field hockey, at different times, Moeckel and Milner walked away from the fall sport, simply to focus on softball.
Moeckel, who started playing field hockey in fifth grade, played one season at Windham High as a freshman, but did not stay with it when transferring to Central as a sophomore.
“I wanted to make sure I committed first. Softball is my No. 1 and I wanted to make sure I’d be playing in college,” said Moeckel, who during a strong summer run with the Raider club program out of Concord, Mass., decided to commit to UMass Lowell.
Milner, who began the game in sixth grade, played up through her sophomore year.
As she noted, what set softball, also her No. 1 sport, apart from other sports is the time needed to excel.
“You can’t succeed unless you’re working on your own all the time,” said Milner, the two-time Eagle-Tribune All-Star third baseman.
With the biggest summer of their recruiting lives behind them, the love of field hockey went from a low simmer to a boil.
“I didn’t know when I originally stepped away at first (that I would be back). I had to just step away at first. But definitely as things went on (last season) and winter approached, I knew I wanted to be back,” said Milner, who attended a game or two with Moeckel as fans last fall.
“I didn’t regret the decision I made. It was the right decision for me personally, but I always missed the sport, and I always wanted to come back to play my senior year and finish this.”
“Watching the game, I just wanted to play again,” added Moeckel.
And on came Perrotta to close things out.
“It took some convincing from Ava for sure,” said Moeckel.
The two newcomers have fit right in with a surging Raider program that continues to soar to greater heights behind returning Merrimack Valley Conference MVP Kerri Finneran.
The Raiders, state quarterfinalists last year, turned some heads last week, with a 4-4 tie against Wachusett, a team that bounced Central in 2023.
“‘Mo’ being a beast on defense and Milner being an absolute animal as a forward, it’s just a great thing to see,” said Perrotta. “Having them on the field hockey team and the softball team together, just makes us closer. Our bond is incredible.”