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06/11/2024 12:01 PMLacrosse opened a whole new athletic environment and setting for Catherine Bianchi. Moving from the quiet indoor confines of the dance floor to the loud, active, and boisterous setting of the outdoor turf, she found her footing as both an athlete and leader.
The North Haven senior took part in dance for about a decade while trying her hand at soccer and swimming sporadically during that time frame. She then got involved in lacrosse as an eighth grader in a limited capacity due to the pandemic. Yet Catherine’s first time on an actual full season with a team came her freshman year with the Nighthawks. She then gained varsity reps as a sophomore and served as an attacker and captain for the club this past spring as the team’s leading scorer with 55 goals and eight assists.
“I liked that I could freely run on the field and be outside with lacrosse when compared to dance. I also liked the team dynamic of being around friends and having people in the stands cheering you on vs. dancing when you are indoors and performing for a quiet audience,” says Catherine. “A big help for me has been the great support of my coaches and teammates. I started playing varsity as a sophomore, so having that encouragement from my friends and being confident in what I was doing helped me become a better player.”
Being up top as an offensive force, Catherine loved being quick off the draw and on a fast break. Of course, no team is ever perfect on the face off, and she states it could be tough when the other side took the ball and ran with it outside of her boundary.
“At attack, I love when I am on the circle with two midfielders, and we get the ball off the draw, run down the field, and score,” Catherine says. “It can be difficult, though, when you lose that draw, the ball goes to the other side, and then as an attacker you cannot pass the restraining line. It can be tough because you cannot do anything about it.”
When it came to cultivating the best head space for action, Catherine maintains it was about accepting the law of averages and that there will be both good and bad days and games. She adds that you can never anticipate if adversity would appear but rather when it will appear and how you will rise above it.
“For me, it is about keeping that mindset that you will not win every game and you may have an off day, but that is all okay,” says Catherine. “You have to realize that it is natural. You have to also know that you cannot be worried about things that may go wrong during a game. You cannot think about the bad things and must stay positive.”
Another asset for Catherine was her status as a southpaw, being a rarity in her field. She utilized the trait while being someone who could throw opposing defenders and netminders off their balance by having to try to adjust to her dominant side.
“I am a lefty, and most lacrosse players are right-handed, so that helps because most defenders do not expect that,” Catherine says. “I am usually positioned on a side where the goalkeeper’s stick is not, since they are mostly right-handed, too. I also feel I have gotten better with my ability to run with the ball down field and avoid defenders.”
There was quite a growing interest in the Nighthawks’ program this year with a total number of first-year players never seen previously. Catherine used that high volume of youngsters as an opportunity to step up as a captain and give the girls a place of comfort to grow their skills.
“As a captain, it was great to see the younger girls improve because we were all in that position when we started with the sport,” says Catherine. “We had 27 freshmen on the roster I believe this year, and we never had anything like that. I wanted to make sure I was someone the younger and newer girls could talk to and give them tips along the way.”
North Haven girls’ lacrosse Head Coach Bernard Pellegrino notes that Catherine brought a certain elusiveness and swiftness on the field to help the Nighthawks in transition. Additionally, her go-getter demeanor led her to achieving great status academically and as a leader.
“Catherine provided tremendous leadership to our team as one of our tri-captains. She has great speed and agility that allows her to separate from her defender when driving to the goal. As a lefty, she is usually attacking the goalie’s weak side and most often made her pay the price. Her speed and field awareness also distinguished her in our transition play in mid-field. Finally, her craftiness on the circle contributed to our team’s successful draw control this season,” says Pellegrino. “Her quiet, yet confident demeanor gave our girls confidence during games. During timeouts in tight situations, she was always short but on point with what needed to be done. She would usually then go out and do it! She showed much of those same attributes off the field. She was quick to lend a hand or words of encouragement to her teammates. She works the same magic in the classroom, earning membership in the National Honor Society. Her academic excellence earned her admission to Penn State University in the fall.”
Now in reflection of her tenure at North Haven, Catherine was simply grateful to play the sport she loves surrounded by some of her closest colleagues. She concludes by saying the girls got the most out of their time together by not being too critical of themselves and creating terrific camaraderie.
“I loved being a part of this team and sport, win or lose,” Catherine says. “The girls here are so great, and our main goal was to just have a good time while trying our best. We also made sure not to be too hard on ourselves because then no one will have fun. My favorite part of it all was simply creating those bonds with my friends and teammates.”