The five seniors from Concord on the St. Paul’s School girls’ lacrosse team know they only have a handful of games left together, which has put a heightened focus on their talent and connection on and off the field, and their years of memories together.

Elizabeth Johnson, Brianna Blake, Alexandra Wang, Meg Bohan and Alexandra Cabot all grew up in the area and took their first steps in the world of lacrosse by joining Concord Crush’s under-eight program in first grade. The rest was history, and some is yet to be written as they will all move on to play NCAA lacrosse next year.

They continued playing together, moving up every few years until they reached the top of the youth lacrosse system and excelled greatly, which led them to join St. Paul’s soon after for their freshman years of high school. Simultaneously, they all played for Granite State Elite Lacrosse in the off-season together to stay sharp.

Their head coach at St. Paul’s, Heather Crutchfield, spoke glowingly of the five, and even though it will be sad to see them go, she’s excited for the future that awaits them.

“They’re just really talented, and these coaches that are getting them are very lucky. I think they’re going to be fantastic players in college, and they’re smart, they’re dedicated, they’re super athletic, and they’re gritty and passionate,” she said. “They all have different gifts, and I’m excited for their future.”

Elizabeth Johnson, University of Michigan

Endearingly called E.J. or Ee-zh by her teammates, she is one of the two senior goalies for ‘Big Red.’ In an unusual but effective tactic, the team rotates both Johnson and Arabella Perry for each half of nearly every game – something that most goalies would find difficult to manage mentally.

Still, Johnson has been solid in goal and has had a 56.5% save rate in her last two years. Her father, Rick Johnson, said that he did not expect Michigan’s culture to be warm, but both he and his daughter were pleasantly surprised by the welcoming staff and team out there.

Yet, she will still miss the family she built with her friend at St. Paul’s, and even though they’re parting ways, she knows it’s only temporary.

“Going on into the future, we built such a strong foundation with each other, I know that every time we come home for breaks like this is what we've built together,” Johnson said. “We’ll shoot all summer together up at the turf, and we’ve built a family out of the five of us and that’ll stay forever.”

Brianna Blake,
Denison University

Blake underwent shoulder surgery during the first half of her senior season, but has bounced back and found her way as she prepares to leave and go far to Granville, Ohio, to study pre-med. Her mother, Cheryl Colleti, said her daughter is very excited, but as a parent, the move will involve a decent amount of logistical planning.

Crutchfield described Blake as a quarterback on the defense and as a very vocal leader who will always help and support her teammates, an invaluable asset that will be missed next year. 

“It’ll be really fun to see how each other does in college and be able to cheer each other on from afar,” Blake said. “And know that we’re all together, and we all know we can count on each other like each other’s biggest hype men.”

Blake is excited to continue playing and is looking forward to watching her friends grow wherever they end up, but for now, she and the team are still focused on finishing the year out strong, knowing that this is the last chance with more playoffs ahead.

“I really loved the coach and the environment when I went out there, it felt a lot like St. Paul’s, sort of on a larger scale, and I saw a lot of room for myself to grow,” she added.

Alexandra Wang,
Amherst College

According to Crutchfield, she came in as more of a soccer player, but has developed into a strong defender for St. Paul’s. Her positional awareness and toughness on the perimeter have given opposing defenses trouble all year, and even though he impact may not always show up on the stat sheet, she is a consistent presence in the starting lineup.

She’s very excited to attend Amherst and to explore the different liberal arts paths available at a school that has a similar tight-knit community like St. Paul’s. Just like Blake, she can’t wait to cheer her teammates on from wherever she is.

“It’s been such an honor we’ve gotten to see each other grow and work together and be on all these different teams with each other. It’s kind of sad that we’re all going in different directions, but we’ll definitely be cheering each other on.”

Meg Bohan,
Yale University

Bohan, a midfielder, I one of the team’s leading offensive threats with 44 goals and 16 assists this season. Like the rest, she’s still giving her full attention to the lacrosse season, but can’t wait to get to Yale because of the high level of both lacrosse and academics.

She emphasized that playing with the other four has been great because their bond on the field has only gotten stronger over time. She said that they all owed it all to Concord Crush and the youth lacrosse world here in New Hampshire.

“One thing that has helped me to grow up, with these girls, playing with them, is I feel like I know exactly what they're going to do. I think we can read each other well, we work really well together, and there's just so much trust,” Bohan said.

“I think it’s just fun to play lacrosse with your best friends and I think we know we’re all really lucky to have been able to do it for so long.”

Alexandra Cabot,
University of Vermont

Ali Cabot, who plays alongside Bohan in the midfield, has had a meteoric rise as a senior and has fielded her best offensive numbers of her career. So far this year, she has 37 goals and nine assists while putting in lots of work defensively and in transition for St. Paul’s. 

She has often been paired with Bohan for face-offs and has worked well with her lifelong teammates to run the offense. Recently, she scored two goals against New Hampton School in the Lakes Region tournament semifinals in a big win, 14-6. She’s excited to attend UVM, and her mother Ann said that in many ways, the school chose her. 

“I'm excited to have it be close to my parents and my family. I want to help build the Vermont program. I absolutely love the coach, and I love the team. I want to major in engineering, and they have a great engineering program,” she said.

Alexander Rapp can be reached at arapp@cmonitor.com