Leary Connaughton’s roots in lacrosse were on the defensive end, but when she started to play more at the offensive end.
As a high school player, she’s been able to use her versatility at both ends as a dynamic two-way midfielder for the North girls lacrosse team, falling back on her background at either end to excel in both.
“I definitely do think so, especially when it comes down to the ground balls and kind of boxing out,” Connaughton said. “I think that the fundamentals of defense really help me when I’m transitioning into the midfield because I’m not just so attack driven. I feel like I can kind of do both.”
As important as she is at either end, she actually does her best work right in the middle of the field. Connaughton doesn’t take the draw controls – that’s for Ginny Choi – but she’s a force at winning the 50/50 balls and ground balls off the draw. The junior middie relishes the chance to win possession for the Knights.
“This year I’ve kind of more focused on the draw and the ground balls and kind of being more of a supporting player than directly kind of driving in and scoring.” Connaughton said. “I’ve gotten a few goals, but I feel like my stats really show that I’ve focused more on the draw and the ground balls. And I also think I’ve really improved on boxing people out and really going the extra mile. If people are a few yards ahead of me I still fight for it like no matter what.”
Connaughton’s efforts help her stand out on every draw. She has put together some truly exceptional games. Connaughton had three goals, won 10 draw controls and scooped up 11 ground balls in a key 15-14 win over Robbinsville on April 20 for a rapidly improving North squad.
“I would say that’s one of my better games,” Connaughton said. “I think getting to double digits is really good for me. I was happy with that.”
It wasn’t the only time she’s produced that much. She had almost identical numbers in another tight win three weeks earlier. She scored three goals, had 12 draws and 10 ground balls with two forced turnovers in a 12-11 win over Steinert for the Knights’ first win of the year.
“She got her 100th career draw control early this season, which is a huge milestone and a big accomplishment for her,” said North coach Julia Giordano. “She is just a workhorse. She’s probably the biggest hustler on the team. She just doesn’t quit when she’s out there and that’s what gets her the ball and possession.”
The Knights feel confident in their ability to win possession in large part because of Connaughton. After winning 73 draws in her first two seasons of high school combined, she had 67 through the first 10 games this spring. She also has 67 ground balls, already eclipsing the 53 that she accrued in her first two seasons combined. Her scoring is down from last year’s career-high 41 goals, but her 15 goals and two assists have come in big spots and she’s made possession a focus at the expense of more glamorous scoring stats.
“I think it really goes back to the team dynamic because Ginny is such a prominent scorer and she really drives to goal,” said Connaughton. “So in order to help her do that, I feel like it’s really important to get possession of the ball, which comes back to getting the ground balls, going for the 50/50 balls and also going for the draw. So I think that’s why I kind of stepped in that direction.”
It’s been a winning combination. Connaughton has the perfect temperament and aggression to be on the circle, and Choi has tried to direct the ball her way so she can compete for it.
“She and Ginny work really well on the draw control together,” Giordano said. “So Ginny will take it and then Larry’s on the circle. And wherever that ball goes, you’ll see Larry there. I always tell the girls, , watch Leary, how no matter how far behind the ball she is or behind the player on the other team that’s going for the ball, she is sprinting after it and a lot of times ends up with it even though it doesn’t seem like it’s going to go her way at first. She just fights for every single inch.”
Connaughton’s play has been inspiring to others. Her confidence is up and she’s helping raise her teammates’ levels. She’s led the charge to win the draw controls because of how important it is in the women’s game.
“If we can get possession, good things will come and the outcome will follow,” Giordano said. “And I think that’s what’s held us in games is that we’re able to get the ball. We’ve played Princeton, Notre Dame, Allentown – probably three of our tougher opponents. And we’re able to, besides really the Notre Dame game, we’re able to convert and convert all the way through because we’re continuing to gain possession of the ball.”
Like Choi, Connaughton also plays soccer. And while Choi is more focused on a future in soccer after high school, Connaughton may consider playing lacrosse at a club level in college. She has always put more time into her lacrosse and invested i n the sport at the club level. When she’s not playing sports, she spends a lot of free time drawing and painting and could incorporate her art talent into whatever she studies in college. She still has the end of this season and then a whole other year.
“I’m really excited for next year especially, because a lot of my friends are on the team who are in my grade,” she said. “So I’m excited to see what we’re able to step up and do as seniors, and also just to have fun with my senior year.”
Connaughton has stepped into a bigger role this year as a junior. She was elected a captain and she has been an example of how to put the team first and find a role that helps the team the most. She’s tried to be accessible to teammates and combine her leadership with mentorship.
“I feel like being an upperclassman has really made me step into more of a leadership role, which I also think helped me in my role as captain,” Connaughton said. “I know a lot of the underclassmen, some of them are my friends, sisters, or people that I’ve known from classes in school. And I think that being able to be someone that they can come to on and off the field was really important.”
The veterans had to keep the team focused on the big picture and improving each day after the Knights faced some of the most difficult teams on their schedule early. North was working to build up an attack that was hurt by graduation losses. Their 15-goal explosion against Robbinsville gave them a rare win when their defense actually gave up quite a few goals.
“We kind of focus on keeping possession of the ball because I think that’s sometimes where things can go wrong in our games is that we don’t – we kind of are focused on more scoring as many goals as possible and not focused on settling the ball and getting possession,” Connaughton said. “And I think for this game, that’s really what helped us in the end is that we were able to keep the ball for a few minutes to let some time run out. I think that’s really what helped us win the game.”
The Knights have been coming together all season, finding their strengths and improving their weaknesses. Behind Choi in scoring is another junior, Isabella Abrigo, and freshman Zoe Abrigo also has found her scoring touch. Cara Perez leads the team in forced turnovers, and Caite Corriveau and Lily Simmons have shared time in goal.
“We have a couple of high scorers, but ultimately our defense continues to get better which is something we’ve been working on a lot at practice,” Giordano said. “Our team offense, we’re just working so we don’t just have one or two threats, and that all seven on the field can go to goal. But the girls are such a great group this year. They all really want to be there. They’re very motivated. They have fun, and they’re just ready to get better every day.”
North has a couple of heartbreaking losses, or their record would look even better. They lost two games by a goal apiece and another by two goals. They look forward to the chance to avenge those defeats in the postseason when they could be a dangerous team thanks to their ability to win possession against anyone.
“When it comes to the CVC championship and all of the other things that we have to qualify for I think it’s really something that’s going to push us to go the extra mile because I feel like our team is a very energy based team,” Connaughton said. “I think when we’re able to work together and really get our energy up we play so much better.”
Leary Connaughton has emerged as a key two-way midfielder for High School North.,
