St. Anthony's girls lacrosse's sixth straight title never in doubt

Not many teams can say they’ve won 48 consecutive games. But St. Anthony’s girls lacrosse has proved it’s unlike any other team.

The Friars defeated St. Dominic, 16-2, at Adelphi to earn their sixth straight state CHSAA Class AA championship to cap an undefeated season for the second year in a row. 

“Coming together and finishing the season out strong was such a special feeling,” senior captain Julia May O’Connor said. “It really showed the amount of work we’ve put in all season long.” 

St. Anthony's finished just as it started. The Friars entered the season ranked No. 1 in the country according to USA Lacrosse, and they remained at the top all year. They went 17-0 after going 19-0 last season and haven't lost since the 2023 season.

“It’s pretty crazy,” St. Anthony's coach Darcy Messina said. “We know how hard an accomplishment like this is to achieve, and we don’t take any of that for granted.”

“We practice day in and day out, but it’s really the sisterhood we have here that makes us a special team,” junior Emma Speed said. “Our strong bond and chemistry are like no other, and we all strive for the same goals.”

Despite a tough national schedule, only three of their 11 opponents were able to score five or more goals against them. St. Anthony’s won 14 of 17 games by 10 or more goals.

Another sign of just how elite this St. Anthony’s team is the players’ college commitments. More than half of the 38 players on the roster are committed to play at Division I programs such as Johns Hopkins, Syracuse, the University of Florida, Princeton and Northwestern, to name a few.

There may be 14 seniors graduating, but don’t count them out for next season. 

“The underclassmen are so bought in,” senior captain Molly Hiney said. “They know what they need to do to repeat, and they're motivated to keep it up. I’m confident they’ll be able to do that.”

Speed, a University of Florida commit, finished as the Friars’ top scorer with 51 goals and 24 assists. Speed, along with incoming seniors Anna Christie (Northwestern) and Sophia Novelli (Vanderbilt) looks forward to the challenge of continuing this legacy.

“The younger class coming in already looks so talented,” Speed said. “For the upcoming season, if we all keep the same mindset and stay focused, I think we’re capable of doing the same thing again.”