By Emily Vojtech

The Monticello High School Girls Lacrosse team has two senior captains for the 2024 season, Midfielder Lauren Moorhouse and Attacker Piper Perron. While Perron is currently injured and out for the season, she will continue to be part of the team and fill her role as one of the team captains. Both captains are experienced lacrosse players. Moorhouse has been playing for five years, and Perron has been playing for 12 years. 

The Monticello Magic ended their 2023 season with a record of 7-7-0. The Magic compete in the Greater West Metro conference and Section 8. 

The team graduated four seniors last year. “We have a younger team, so we will be helping players do things the right way,” Captain Lauren Moorhouse shared. Captain Piper Perron shared that it is important to “Be responsible for yourself and your teammates,” as a captain. Perron plans to be available to players to give them support and advice throughout the season. 

“Our team has that family bond. If something happens we get over it. Our sophomores have been playing with us since they were in eighth grade,” Moorhouse said. “We always bounce back and play as a team,” Perron added. 

“Being a coachable player and making sure everyone is included is important,” Perron said about being a team captain. The Monticello captains placed an importance on being approachable and being supportive of their teammates. “A past captain was able to help me and I was able to connect with her,” Moorhouse recalled from a previous season. 

To prepare for the season, the Magic Girls Lacrosse team holds open gyms on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Many team members also play on club teams and some participate in training sessions in Orono. “We have had fun practice at the St. Michael-Albertville dome for tryouts,” Moorhouse recalled. 

The pair recalled other fun memories while participating in lacrosse at Monticello High School. “We once got coffee together after morning practice,” Perron shared. “We’ve done white light t-shirts for dress up day,” Perron explained. “We had a beach practice in the summer at Bertram Chain of Lakes,” Moorhouse shared. 

This year, the captains have a shared goal that everyone holds themselves accountable. “Holding ourselves accountable is going to be important this year,” Perron stated. “We want to be positive so people want to be at lacrosse,” Perron continued. “We want to stay connected and be honest with ourselves,” Moorhouse said. 

After sharing the fun memories and experiences they have had while playing lacrosse, they shared some thoughts to anyone who is thinking about playing lacrosse in high school. “It’s great being part of a team,” Moorhouse stated. “It is so much fun meeting so many different people from other teams and club teams,” Perron said. The pair are excited for their upcoming season. 

The Monticello captains are looking forward to playing a few familiar opponents this season. “I’m looking forward to playing Buffalo, even though it can be a train wreck,” Moorhouse said. “Buffalo is our first game of the season, they’re a competitive program,” Perron added. The last time the Magic faced off with Buffalo was in the Section 8 Quarterfinal. The Buffalo Bison defeated the Magic 17-6. “I’m looking forward to playing Chisago Lakes. I think two years ago we went into double overtime, it’s always a close game,” Perron shared. Last season, the Magic lost to conference opponent, Chisago Lakes both times they competed against each other. The Magic finished their season second in their conference, just behind Chisago Lakes last year. The Magic were dominant in the Greater West Metro Conference, winning all but two conference matchups in 2023.

Both Moorhouse and Perron will be continuing their lacrosse careers after graduation. Moorhouse will be attending Hamline University to study Finance and play lacrosse. Perron will be attending University of Wisconsin- River Falls to study Elementary Education and play lacrosse. 

Moorhouse and Perron shared that if their team had a theme song, it would be Hot Wings from Rio.