Caitlyn Naughton, Sophia Fruci power Walpole girls lacrosse offense, undefeated start

WEYMOUTH — Mike Tosone doesn’t have to say much on the sideline.

When the ball is moving up field and players like UMass commit Caitlyn Naughton and Bryant commit Sophia Fruci are on the move, Walpole’s girls lacrosse coach can just stand and watch, knowing that the team’s offense will know what to do.

“With this group, I don’t call any offensive plays. None,” Tosone said. “They know how to play settled and fast break offense. … They know what to do. Don’t get in the way of something good.”

Through their first seven games, the Timberwolves’ attack has powered the program to an undefeated start, averaging 18 goals per game.

The team’s fast-paced offense led to its most recent win on Thursday at Weymouth, 21-7. Naughton scored a team-high five goals, while Riley Halloran and Jenna Wong each scored four.

“We’ve played really good lacrosse the first seven games,” Tosone said. “We’re fast and athletic and that is kind of our calling card. We’ve been able to play that way, and we are a tough out when we play that way.”

The Timberwolves played in the Division II state championship last season and fell to three-time champion Notre Dame Academy.

Tosone has coached over a dozen different Walpole girls lacrosse teams over the years. All of them were different, but the ones that were successful had a few common traits: team athleticism, fast break offense and tough rides.

He thinks this year’s team can do all those things and more at a high level.

“They are similar to our good teams over the years,” Tosone said. “They might be a bit more offensively on the skill level overall. That makes them a bit different, but it’s the similarities that stick out.”

If Walpole gets over the hump this year and dethrones Notre Dame Academy, that offense will play a big role.

“A lot of us have been playing together since the sixth grade and have awesome chemistry,” Naughton said about the team’s offense. “Everyone is a leader. Everyone makes an impact no matter what. I think it’s so special that we have so many goal scorers and people that can cut and know their roles.”

Naughton and Fruci have played on varsity since they were freshmen and were key contributors to last year’s team that made a title game appearance.

With most of last year’s team back, plus young role players finding their way, Fruci thinks this year’s team is the strongest she has been on as a varsity player.

“We didn’t lose that many girls from last year, so we basically have the same team,” Fruci said. “Individually we all worked hard in the winter to get better. We all worked on ourselves. We are the strongest we’ve been in the last four years.”

The program finished last season with an overall record of 22-4, its only losses coming against Weymouth, Reading and Notre Dame Academy twice.

Walpole was the No. 2 seed in last year’s tournament, only behind NDA. It was a great campaign for the Timberwolves, but the program identified areas where it could have been better.

“We’ve been reflecting on last year,” Naughton said. “We want everything to be better. The offense, defense and the draw. We’ve been working so hard together on intensity on ground balls, the 50-50s. Our practices are focused on that. The second the ball is on the ground, we are going for it. That’s a big part of the game.”

The state championship is two months away and Walpole has a lot of games to play before having the opportunity of getting back to the season’s final game.

If the team is going to get back to that point, it will need a lot of things to go its way. Looking ahead, the Timberwolves will control what they can control and let the ball bounce where it may.

“It always takes a little luck with bounces and health,” Tosone said about the postseason run. “Theres a lot of good teams out there. (We need to) keep doing what we are doing and see what we can do. We will be in the hunt, whether we will go all the way, sometimes it’s circumstances. But I would say we are a good team and will be a tough out.”