GOING ALL OUT: Stuart Country Day School lacrosse player Allison Lee races upfield in a 2022 game. Last Friday, junior star Lee scored four goals as Stuart opened its season by falling 19-4 to Princeton High in its first game under new head coach Paige Meszaros. The Tartans, who lost 16-11 to the Hun School last Saturday, play at Somerville High on April 13, host Nottingham on April 15, and then play at WW/P-North on April 16. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

For Paige Meszaros, playing soccer, basketball, and lacrosse at Steinert High was a life-changing experience that made her want to help others enjoy a similar journey.

“Coaching was something that I had always wanted to do my entire life,” said Meszaros, a 2016 Steinert grad who went on to play for the McDaniel College women’s lax team.

“Specifically, I really wanted to coach at the high school level just because my high school coaches were so impactful in my life as a player and as a person. It is something I always wanted to strive for as well.”

This spring, Meszaros is getting the chance to have that kind of influence as she has taken the helm of the Stuart Country Day School lacrosse team as its new head coach.

“The opportunity to guide young athletes towards their goals and support them in reaching their fullest potential is something I have always wanted to do, and I am grateful to have this role,” said Meszaros, who also teaches ESL at Lawrence High and Intermediate School and had previously coached at youth camps and clinics.

In guiding the Tartans, Meszaros is looking to help her players excel on the field and beyond.

“Before the spring I got to introduce myself. I was excited to be there to learn about them and hopefully to get us a lot of wins this year,” said Meszaros, who is taking over a team that went 5-10 in 2023. “I was stressing to them the importance of lacrosse, not just what it means to be out there on the field but what it does for us off the field as well. That never-give-up attitude translates from athletics into real life.”

In the view of Meszaros, one of the most important aspects of her new role is to get her players on the same page.

“Something I am really big on is working on the team chemistry, so it is making sure that they are working well together,” said Meszaros. “It is knowing if this one has the ball, what they will be free to do with it. That comes along with being on the field and off the field with friendships, working together and getting along, and team bonding. Those are things I am really big on.”

As Stuart went through its preseason training, Meszaros liked the way things are coming together.

“They have been doing an awesome job. This is a really special place, it is a very tight-knit community,” said Meszaros, whose coaching staff includes former Stuart head coaches Missy Bruvik and Mark Maser. “The girls are just so nice. They are great athletes and they are also just really great people off the field. We have many strong freshmen joining us this year that will certainly help out our team. Some of them are new to lacrosse, but they are athletes and are learning quickly. Others that are experienced and have been helping out the newcomers. All the girls have been very receptive and respectful at practices and to the coaches. I am so happy to be a part of the Stuart community.”

The Tartans boast a very strong player in junior star midfielder  Allison Lee, who has totaled 166 goals in her first two campaigns with the program.

“Allison scored 100 goals in one season last year, my jaw dropped when I heard that,” said Meszaros, who got four goals from Lee as Stuart opened the season by falling 19-4 to Princeton High last Friday. “She is a great kid too. She has been really helpful leading too. They said that last year all of her goals were necessary. It is not like they were up be a certain amount, they needed every single goal that she had. She will be a leader offensively.”

Lee’s younger sister, freshman Lauren, should help the Tartan attack.

“They are both amazing athletes,” said Meszaros of the Lee sisters. “At practice, they are like the player-coaches. They will step in if they see somebody holding the stick the wrong way and they will let know them real quietly. They are awesome girls. They are good for the team and good for everybody.”

In addition to the Lee sisters, Meszaros is looking for freshman Hadassah Broughton, freshman Betsy Murphy, freshman Madeline Razler, sophomore Abigail Chirik, freshman Claire McLaughlin, and junior Emily Harlan to bring some scoring punch.

“Offensively, some girls that I think are going to really help us this season are Hadassah in the midfield, Betsy on attack, Madeline in the midfield, Abigail in the midfield, Claire in the midfield, and Emily on attack,” said Meszaros. On defense, two other freshmen, Celia Struve-Altuve and Maeve Wall, have been stepping up.

“Maeve will be back there, she is very athletic, she is quick to pick things up,” said Meszaros. “Celia is an athlete as well.”

In goal, senior Alex Mandzij and junior Maya Dev, bring athleticism.

“We are going to have two goalies in Alex and Maya,” said Meszaros. “Maya will also be playing defense for us — I think she will be really strong for us in the defensive end.”

Meszaros believes the Tartans can have a strong season if they connect with each other all over the field.

“I think we have to play cohesively as a group,” said Meszaros, whose team lost 16-11 to the Hun School last Saturday to move to 0-2 and will play at Somerville High on April 13, host Nottingham on April 15, and then play at WW/P-North on April 16. “Making sure that we are playing to our strengths and that we are moving together is what it is going to be most important.”