Lacrosse is in the Angus family’s blood. With a net set up in their yard, the family sport is always in season for Eleanor Angus, a senior on the Kearsarge girls’ lacrosse team, and her sisters, sophomore Leslie Angus and seventh-grader Libby Angus.
“We are even out there shooting in the snow,” Eleanor said with a laugh.
Turns out that extra practice paid off for the midfielder headed to Saint Anselm next year to pursue a degree in nursing and play a little more lacrosse.
Angus, who finished the regular season with 36 goals and 40 assists, said it wasn’t an easy decision but she’s confident that Saint Anselm, a Division II school for now, was the place for her.
“Everything just kind of fell into place,” said Angus, who knew she wanted to stay close to home so she could follow her sisters’ lacrosse careers. “I was trying to find a balance between a good school I love and a good lacrosse program that I love. And I think I did.”
Angus admitted she doesn’t have blazing speed. But her height and offseason efforts developing her left hand helped her become a prolific scorer for the Cougars in her senior season. Coach Hilary Grimes was quick to say the goals weren’t even Angus’s biggest contribution to the team this season.
“Eleanor leads the team in assists this year and has been a key player in terms of leading the attack and setting up players to score,” Grimes said.
One of the people she liked setting up most? Her sister, Leslie.
“Having that connection helped both of us be more confident,” Eleanor said. “A lot of people don’t realize that assists are really important, too. Driving and drawing the double team then dumping it off to my teammates is something that I love to do.”
Angus’s teammate-first attitude made her an easy choice when it came time to name captains. And strong chemistry helped the team to a 12-3 regular-season finish and a No. 3 seed in the Division III tournament.
“It’s been really fun,” Angus said of her team’s success. “This is the best year, I think, in my four years on the team. We are all friends; we are not a team that’s going to get in each other’s faces and yell. We’ve been able to keep our cool in stressful situations and it definitely helps on the field.”
As for playing at the next level, Angus knows she has her work cut out for her but she said she’s ready for the challenge.
“It’s definitely going to be a hard transition just because of the level of play,” she said. “But I’m looking forward to playing on a team where every single girl on my team is so in love with the sport that I’m so in love with. It’s going to be fun.”