Behind deep junior class, Chartiers Valley girls lacrosse vies for postseason success

By: Nathan Breisinger
Sunday, April 21, 2024 | 11:01 AM

When Melissa Moran was searching for what would come next in her life, after a lacrosse career at Duquesne, she decided to take a chance coaching the Chartiers Valley youth lacrosse program.

A few years later, she was appointed head coach of the varsity girls lacrosse team at Chartiers Valley in 2020.

In a blink of an eye, the girls she had met the first day coaching that youth program have become juniors and have taken leadership of her varsity team.

“It’s been an honor and a pleasure watching them grow up,” Moran said. “I work at CV in the athletic office as well, so I get to see these girls every day in school, and I think building that solid foundation and relationship where they are able to come to me outside of lacrosse, it’s been very cool to be a part of that journey from the beginning.”

Since the Colts lacrosse players were 10 years old, Moran has been more than just a coach.

“She’s our lacrosse mom,” junior Juliana Betts said. “She’s been with us through every single up and down. She’s like our therapist, always asking us how we’re doing. She babysits my dog when we’re away. We are a very tight-knit team because she’s not only like a coach, she’s like a mom.”

From the early years of developing the girls as lacrosse players to watching them get their driver’s licenses, Moran has seen it all with this group, and they were the reason the New York native decided to make Pittsburgh a permanent home.

“It was the lacrosse side of it that I built this bond with these girls so quickly. I then realized I wanted to stick around,” Moran said.

For the 11 juniors on the Chartiers Valley team, watching Moran grow has been just as special.

“That’s a bond that I will never have with another coach,” junior Natalia Palumbo said. “She’s been there with us since our first year. Watching her grow as a coach is just as great as watching us grow together as teammates.”

Two years ago as freshman, with Moran guiding the program, the junior group was an instrumental part of Chartiers Valley’s first WPIAL girls lacrosse title.

“They were big factors on the team when they were freshmen,” Moran said. “They did play big roles then, and they’re just continuing to build off of their experience and trying to mentor the younger girls.”

Attempting to follow up the championship season with another title did not go as planned. Injuries mounted, eventually leading to the Colts bowing out of the WPIAL playoffs in a semifinal loss to Mars and missing the state playoff cut in the consolation game.

As difficult as last season was, the Colts have a new set of circumstances to deal with — a limited roster with more than a dozen players graduating in the past two years.

With just one returning senior from last year, captain Lyda Rethage, the Colts are depending on the juniors to grow that bond they’ve built since their youth days.

“These girls have played together now since they were 10, 11 years old,” said Moran, whose team started 4-2 overall and 3-1 in Section 2-2A this season. “The ability to know each other on the field and have that second nature of understanding where they’re going to be is what helps us the most.”

At midfield, Betts, who recently committed to play lacrosse at American University, leads with her scoring prowess after surpassing 100 career goals and 200 draw controls last season.

“Juliana’s been a leader since the day I met her when she was 11 years old,” Moran said. “She’s such a phenomenal player, but also a natural leader where if she’s not necessarily saying something, she’s showing it by example.

“She has such a solid IQ that she knows when to cut, when to get open, has the urgency to make plays and go after the ball. If she’s not the one shooting, she’s getting someone else open. She has a way of making everyone else around her better.”

Palumbo, who also serves as a captain with Betts and Rethage, manages the Colts’ defense.

“She is a fantastic leader on defense,” Moran said. “She has the defensive knowledge to pull the team in and regroup if we’re getting scored on.”

The last line of defense comes from junior goalkeeper Kaitlyn Kuczinski, who returns this season after battling an ACL injury.

“She’s a great goalie,” Palumbo said. “One of her best games was against Mars. She had 14 saves which is pretty amazing against a team like Mars.”

Other juniors, such as Mallorie LaGamba, Megan White and Ava Warzinski have factored in offensively, while Ava Antonucci pairs up with Palumbo on the back end with each girl playing a pivotal role.

“Everyone had to step up because everyone’s role is really valuable to our team because we don’t have as many subs,” Palumbo said.

As Chartiers Valley chases a section title and a return to WPIAL glory, Moran acknowledges that a championship is at the top of the list when it comes to this group’s goals.

“These girls have become my Pittsburgh family, and I feel like our job’s not finished yet,” Moran said. “I’d like to get two more titles with the junior group.”

Tags: Chartiers Valley