For Morgan Lucibello, the physical nature of the game of lacrosse really attracted her to the turf, and in such a short time span with the sport, she has laid down the hits and made an impact with the defense of the North Branford girls’ lacrosse team.

The junior first danced as a youngster before jumping over to field hockey in sixth grade, also still playing for the Thunderbirds as a defender. Yet Morgan did not move to lacrosse until a year ago as a sophomore. Morgan helped North Branford maintain a strong and stingy defensive front en route to a 12-4 regular season and return trips to the Shoreline Conference Tournament final and Class S State Tournament.

“I liked that lacrosse involved more contact than field hockey. You can play the person instead of just their stick,” says Morgan. “My coaches have been super encouraging; they knew I could do great things. They also directed me with what to do and work on during the offseason. My teammates also helped me by being encouraging and inviting me to hit the ball around outside of practices.”

Self-confidence has also carried Morgan through a meteoric rise within the game. She notes that through a stronger mind, she has enhanced her abilities to go the distance and outlast her opponents up and down the field through the long days and duels.

“My belief in myself has improved. Before, I was nervous to even join the lacrosse team, but I have gotten to the point where I believe in myself with the sport,” Morgan says. “My endurance has also gotten better. The endurance tests we run as a team have come easier for me, and my perseverance has improved.”

No matter what her defensive assignment is on any given game day, North Branford girls’ lax Head Coach Lori Connelly knows Morgan makes the most of her time on the field with her impeccable abilities defensively while being a fully dedicated athlete and teammate.

“Morgan is a role model on and off the field. She is always so positive and isn’t afraid to be a powerful voice on defense. Even though Morgan only started playing lacrosse as a sophomore, you wouldn’t be able to tell by how amazing she is at defense,” says Connelly. “She is an extremely coachable player and, because of that, she has picked up the game so quickly. Her change in game play from last year to this year was outstanding. It’s like everything just clicked for her this year. When she is on high defense, I know I can count on her to be tight on her defender and force them the way they need to go. When she is on low defense, she never gets beat inside. She is an athlete that plays with no fear and just goes out there and does her absolute best every day. She is a player I can always count on to be there, focused, and ready to go. Her work ethic, attitude, coachability, leadership, and defensive footwork far out-shadow anything else. She is just such a pleasure to coach and a great teammate.”

While Morgan mentions that keeping her fancy footwork sharp in order to keep up with the top attackers in the Shoreline Conference can be a bear at times, she does not need to see her name in the stat sheet to know she left her stamp on a squad’s win.

“Keeping up your footwork on defense can be demanding. You have to be light on your toes, and you cannot plant your feet because the attackers are very shifty,” says Morgan. “We all play as a team; it does not matter who gets the goals or assists. The entire team is involved when it comes to getting the ball into the goal. As a defender, I do not care about getting goals and assists, because I know I helped get the ball in the net.”

Even though Morgan still has her senior year on the horizon, she is looking to continue her love for lax beyond high school. Still, when it comes to her final flights with the T-birds in 2024, she is looking to finish off her terrific tenure with a conference crown.

“I am looking to go to college and be a psychologist but keep playing lacrosse on a club team. Sports are a good way to cope with stress, which is something I need to have in college I feel,” Morgan says. “We will have a really good team next year, and we are super committed. We are hungry for a win after we got to the Shoreline Conference finals the last two years and fell short. We are realizing our mistakes that we made and will do great things next year.”

Morgan has emerged from the game much wiser and more mature, though, as she has harvested the hearty life lessons that nothing should be taken for granted and anything rewarding and worthwhile does not come with ease.

“Playing sports has taught me not everything is given to you; you have to work for it,” says Morgan. “With lacrosse, I had to put in so many hours to get my starting spot, and you really have to work for things you want.”