McCready takes home gold
It was quite a successful summer for Maddy McCready.
The 14-year-old, Grade 9 student at Holy Cross was a member of the St. Catharines Athletics U15 squad which won a provincial A field lacrosse championship in July and she recently added another gold medal to her collection.
McCready was the lone local player on Team Ontario which captured the Canadian U14 girls box championship in Langley, B.C., last month.
“It was such a great experience to do that and play with the best of the best,” she said.
McCready, daughter of former National Lacrosse League star Pat McCready, did a lot of the dirty work for Team O.
“I was just there to get all the loose balls, play some strong defence, get the ball down, run it and do everything I could to help the team,” she said. “It’s all a mental game. Whatever you set your mind to, you can do.”
She also chipped in on offence with three goals and seven points in six games as Team O finished 5-1 overall.
Maddy McCready was so effective she was named player of the game on two occasions in the tournament and was also selected to the tournament all-star team.
“She really excelled all-around. She was a really good defender and good in transition and also found the net as well,” Pat McCready said proudly.
Team Ontario won the gold with a 5-2 triumph over the host squad.
“We knew B.C. was going to be really tough competition and we also had Nova Scotia out there,” Maddy McCready said. “We figured it would be a really tough game against B.C. and that’s what it was. They ended up beating us in the first game and the second time we beat them and then again in the finals.”
She said the team appreciated the fans who made the trek from Ontario to cheer them on.
“There were a lot of B.C. fans but we had all the Ontario parents out there too so it was a 50/50 split.”
Maddie McCready started playing box lacrosse and then added the field game about five years ago.
“Since starting to play box lacrosse again it’s helped my field game so much,” she said. “The big difference is obviously aggression. There’s a lot more aggression in box lacrosse because there is no hitting in girls field. I prefer box over field but I like them both pretty equally.”
Her ultimate goal is to receive a scholarship to play field lacrosse at a Division 1 school. She also plans to tryout for Team Ontario again next year and plays hockey for the Oakville Hornets.
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