By Christopher Tremblay

Having grown up in nearby Walpole and playing club lacrosse prior to moving onto Worcester State University where she was the starting goalie her junior and senior seasons, Krissy Pessa never thought about becoming a coach after leaving college. Now some years later she is taking the helm of the Norwood girls lacrosse team.

“A friend was looking for some help coaching, so I started helping her out,” the new varsity head coach said. “I eventually hooked up with Norwood as the JV Coach and helped out on the varsity level. I knew that Mike (Lodge) was leaving this year so I acquired about the position and here I am – Norwood’s new head coach.”

Having been with the Mustang programs for the past five years, Pessa knows all about the team and what they are capable of doing. Last year, Norwood went 9-9 and found their way into the Division 2 State Tournament where they played Amherst-Pelham Regional and pulled out a 14-10 preliminary round win. Unfortunately, Norwood would then get blown out by Walpole, who would go all the way to the Championship game where they lost to Notre Dame of Hingham.

“I want to continue having this team make the playoffs and hopefully win a game or two,” Pessa said. “I also want the girls to learn something that they can take with them throughout their lives; being better human beings as well as athletes.”

Senior captain Shea Larkee, who will be taking her lacrosse career to Division 1 Cornell University next year, will be the player that the new coach looks to guide the Mustangs into the post-season. 

“She is an unbelievable athlete, a once in a lifetime kid,” the Pessa said. “I remember during her freshman year she blew out her knee and continued to come to practice and blast shots at the net. It was totally unbelievable to see her come back after such a devastating injury and play better than ever.”

As the team’s midfielder, Larkee is one that doesn’t like to ever come out of the game at any cost. According to Pessa, she is a coach’s dream player and one that is going to leave an extraordinary large gap on the field next season at Norwood.

Another player that has brought a smile to the coaches face this spring is Aly O’Neil. The Mustang midfielder puts shots on net that totally amazes the coach and she is looking for her to be a big asset on the Norwood attack. 

On the back end of the field is sophomore goalie Ally Mannering, another outstanding athlete that the coach will be looking to have a big impact on the team’s success.

“I can’t wait to watch her to continue to grow over the next three years,” Pessa said. “She is such a great athlete but needs to work on her mental game. She sometimes gets into her own head and just needs to learn to let it go and bounce back.”

Other individuals that Pessa will rely heavily on are senior captains Bridgett Sople and Evann O’Neil, as well as senior Emily Spadorcia.

As she takes the varsity helm for the first time, Pessa knows that she has the talent on the field to get this team back to the tournament.

“One of the biggest things I will be looking for is that the girls have fun,” the Mustang coach said. “Obviously you want to win and go as far as you can in the tournament, but I want the seniors to have a great end of their careers.”