Paige Carboni has come a long way as a Windham High athlete. In basketball this past winter, she often finished games with double-doubles. Last spring in lacrosse, she helped anchored the Jaguars’ defense, for a team that finished 15-3 and advanced to the second round of the New Hampshire Division 2 playoffs.
Part of the reason for her improvement is work ethic, but also her knowledge of the two sports she plays and of course her skill set. All of that helped her become a rock on the defensive side of the ball, something the team is really going to need once again this year if the Jaguars want to make a deeper playoff run.
“We are definitely looking strong (heading into this season) and we’re bringing back a lot of players from last year,” said Carboni. “We lost two or three players, so pretty much the core of our team is coming back. We lost our goalie but we’ve had Jaidyn (Seitzer) step up and she’s made a lot of improvements in the off-season. We’re excited to have her and we’re excited to make a state championship run this year.
“We have fallen short the past two years but this senior class, we came in together as freshmen and we’re just a really strong class. Losing to Hollis-Brookline in the playoffs after beating them twice definitely stunk because we knew that we were the better team, but we’re ready to come back this year.”
Part of that strong senior class includes attackers Chloe Hall and Sophia Ponzini, who are lethal goal scorers and two of the top players in the Granite state. Every day in practice, the 5-foot-9 Carboni faces off against them, which has helped elevate her defensive skills immensely.
“It helps me as a defender get better with my footwork, anticipating what the (attacker) is going to do (with the ball),” Carboni explained. “It also helps them playing against someone who already knows what their moves are and it helps them to be creative (with the ball).
“A lot of Chloe’s (success) comes from her stick skills and her field sense. She always knows where to be, what’s going on and who the best person is (at the time) to give the ball to. She’s a great leader and helps us defensively as well with communication and where we should be sending the ball. A lot of Sophia’s stick skills come from field hockey. She has a lot of those dangerous moves that goalies just aren’t expecting, kind of like a sneaky attack.”
Head coach Jordan O’Boyle said that Carboni certainly can be incredibly sneaky good but at the other end of the field.
“Paige knows the players’ next moves and is able to shut them down,” said the coach. “She is often put to the task of guarding the top player on the other teams we play and does it with great effort. She is an athlete we can always count on to make big stops and disrupt the opposing team’s offense. She has an extremely good skill set with great footwork, stick skills and especially communication skills.”
With strong varsity returners on both offense and defense, Carboni would like nothing more than to polish off her athletic career with a memorable season before she takes off and heads south.
“I’ll be attending the University of South Carolina,” she said. “I just love the atmosphere of the school, the weather, it’s a big school and I just love everything about it. Their business school is really good and that’s what I’ll be majoring in.”
Talent Galore
This spring there’s certainly no shortage of talent when it comes to girls lacrosse in New Hampshire.
Windham returns Hall, who will be playing at Division 1 Butler University next year and has 142 career goals, and Ponzini, who will be playing field hockey at Division 1 UMass Amherst and had 61 goals and 28 assists last year.
There’s another strong duo at Pinkerton Academy with returning Eagle-Tribune All-Stars Hailey Schneider (61-34-75) and junior Hannah Lisauskas (50-45-95). Schneider, who was named to the All-New Hampshire second team a year ago, will be playing her next four years at Division 1 Merrimack College, while, Lisauskas has combined 85 goals and 81 assists for 166 points as a freshman and sophomore and still has two years left.
Astros are loaded
In Division I, Pinkerton Academy is coming off a 12-win season a year ago, including losing in the first round of the state tournament. With this year’s roster – on paper – the Astros are primed for more wins and a deeper state tournament run. Besides Schneider and Lisauskas returning with their combined 111 goals, the Astros will also see the return of second team All-State attacker Isabella Pinardi, midfielder Natalie Paradzick and goalie Sara DiClemente.
“We have a strong energized team ready to come out for the year. The off-season the girls put in a lot of work and we are excited to see it all come together,” said head coach Katie Blair.
Blue Devils working way up
Also in Division I, Salem had a tough go-around last year finishing with just two wins, but head coach Erica Weber is expecting/hoping for bigger and better things this time around, behind two of its stronger players Katie Wood on attack and Kelsey McGibbon on defense.
“This year, our biggest asset is our talented group of experienced defenders,” said Weber. “We have a strong upperclassman presence amongst our defensive and midfield unit and I expect to see them generate a lot of turnovers and opportunities for us. Although that doesn’t always translate to stats on the page, I feel these players are going to be key for us this season.”
Timberlane hoping winning ways carry over
This past fall season a number of the current lacrosse players were part of the state championship soccer season. Head coach Helena Bird guided last year’s team to a 14-5 record and have the majority of those players returning. She wouldn’t mind a little magic thrown Timberlane’s way as they should be one of the stronger teams in Division II.
“We have a lot of returners, and a lot of kids who have played three seasons together – including many members of our D1 state champ soccer team – which is really special,” said Bird. “Because of their participation in other sports, they have a lot of ‘intangibles’ and apparent athleticism coming into the season. They are enthusiastic, gritty kids with excellent work ethic, and they are so much fun to be around every day at practice.”
The Owls will be looking to replace the 51 goals from Eagle-Tribune All-Star Becca Silva. Second team All-State selection Maia Parker, a midfielder, will lead that charge with help from returning midfielders Anne Quinn and Ella Lampron as well as returning attackers Ella Watts, Lily Brien and Lulu Trasatti. Parker had 50 goals and also a 55 percent face-off rate, while Brien added 33 goals.
Jaguars also are loading up
Windham should certainly be a team to be reckon with in Division II. Senior midfielders Mia Gallinelli and Emma Kendzulak are two other solid veterans returning with a lot of varsity experience under their belts.
“We have a lot of strong players returning this season, along with promising newcomers. I am looking forward to continuing working with this team and building a strong bond on and off the field,” said O’Boyle.
Pythons will be
young
Turning to Division III, Pelham has a roster that includes 12 new players, nine freshmen and three athletes who never played the game before. However, there’s certainly optimism around the program, as New Hampshire second team All-State selection Addie Breault, a junior, returns as the team’s goalie.
Senior midfelder Sophia Joncas is a strong overall athlete and will be looked upon to have a big season, while other seniors Kate Burke, Makayla Cruz, Jillian LeBlanc and Zoe Maxwell are all returning starters as well.
“The Lady Pythons go back to work on a team focused approach to both offense and defense this spring. The objective of having a balanced offense will drive Pelham’s team goals for 2024,” said coach John Fischera.