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07/22/2022 11:36 AMEliza O’Connor couldn’t have asked for a better career as a member of the North Haven girls’ lacrosse team. Eliza excelled on the offensive end of the field for the Nighthawks and loved every second of leading the team as a senior captain this year, helping North Haven increase its win total from the 2021 season.
Eliza’s lacrosse career took off shortly before she joined the Nighthawks. Eliza grew up playing club lacrosse with Team 203 and has also competed for the Nor’Easter Lacrosse program during her time in high school. Those experiences increased Eliza’s chances of succeeding when she signed up to compete for North Haven.
“I think it helped me a lot, because we’re playing in the SCC, and a lot of the best girls in the SCC play for Nor’easter. It was great to be able to play alongside them,” says Eliza. “It helped me learn the pace of play a lot better, and I feel like it helped my lacrosse IQ a little bit, just to be able to play with girls at a pretty high level.”
When she picked up her first lacrosse stick in 2nd grade and started improving, Eliza knew that it was meant to be. Eliza played other sports throughout her childhood, but lacrosse was the one that she cared the most deeply about. Eliza wanted to carry her passion for the game to the team at North Haven, and that’s exactly what she did.
Eliza’s passion for lacrosse is complemented by the love that she has for her teammates.
Eliza grew closer with her teammates as her career unfolded, especially the group of seniors that she competed alongside each season. Eliza got to know every player on North Haven’s roster, making her time in the program highly enjoyable. Eliza knew how important every member of the club was when it came to executing the Nighthawks’ game-plan.
“We were always in a good mood and excited to play with each other. When someone makes a big play on defense, in the midfield, or on offense, or our goalie makes a stop, it just makes you that much more fired up,” Eliza says. “It makes you want to do your part, because you know how hard that person is working and how hard they worked to make that play.”
Following a slow start to her senior season, Eliza broke out in a big way when North Haven faced Berlin on April 30. The Nighthawks won close contest by a 14-13 score with Eliza scoring 5 goals in the victory. The emotion and intensity from that game was a major highlight of Eliza’s farewell campaign.
“They had a lot of chances to come back, but we held them off. It was kind of like a breakout moment for me personally,” says Eliza. “I started off the season a little slow, so having that kind of helped me out and boosted me in the second half of the season. I think that was one of our best team performances, because we didn’t give up, and we ended up coming through with a win.”
Head Coach Bernie Pellegrino felt fortunate to have a player with Eliza’s skillset patrolling the offensive end of the field for the Nighthawks. Eliza primarily played behind the net as a member of North Haven’s attack and proved a force on offense this year by scoring 29 goals, which was the second-most on the team. Coach Pellegrino describes Eliza as an integral part of the Nighthawks’ offense and also admires the leadership that she brought to the team as a senior captain.
“Her contribution was pretty significant. More importantly, for Eliza as one of our captains, she was a great leader,” Pellegrino says. “Her leadership style is kind of by example. She’s not a big yeller or screamer, but she quietly leads by doing everything she’s supposed to do. Eliza was just a tireless worker, and I think the other girls followed her lead in that respect.”
Eliza set different goals for her senior season than in previous years. She wanted to become a better all-around player, while still making her contributions on the scoreboard. Eliza was hungry coming into the season, and her all-around performance certainly reflected that mindset.
“I didn’t want to just be a goal scorer. Obviously, scoring goals is great, and I love scoring goals, but I wanted to be able to have some more assists this year and cause turnovers on the offensive ride that we had,” says Eliza. “I wanted to be able to make plays that aren’t always on the scoresheet. If there’s a ground ball, I wanted it. I wanted to be more of a grittier player this year.”
Eliza’s contributions helped the Nighthawks improve their win total by four wins this year in comparison to the 2021 campaign. As a leader on offense, Eliza held her teammates accountable and did everything she could to put them in the best position to succeed. The bonds that Eliza formed with her fellow lacrosse players are something she will hold close to her heart for the rest of her life. As she competed for North Haven, Eliza was also inspired to play for her late mother Alicia, who passed away in 2016.
“For me, family is really big.
My mom passed away when I was in middle school,” Eliza says. “She loved going to all of the games and, obviously, she’s not there anymore, so I play for her when I can. I try to play for her, and that’ll motivate me.”
After dedicating herself to the progression of the North Haven girls’ lacrosse program, Eliza will be hanging up her cleats when she sets foot on the campus of the College of Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts in the fall. Eliza is considering studying either English or political science at the school.
Eliza’s career with the Nighthawks helped her grow into a young adult who is ready to tackle the challenges in the next chapter of her life. While her lacrosse career may be coming to a close, Eliza will forever cherish the connections that she made with her teammates and the memories that they created together on the field.
“Every year was great to be a part of. With our program, I feel like everyone is so happy to be there. We may have not had the best records over the years or the most success, but everyone really wanted to be there and liked each other. It was a lot of fun, and we worked hard every day. I’ll just miss those connections and just playing the sport everyday with my friends.”