Larivee making most of senior season

Chelsea Larivee remembers what it was like as a youngster on the Souhegan High School girls lacrosse team.

The Sabers played in back-to-back Division I championship games during her freshman and sophomore years, winning the title in the later year. That team was led by a strong group of seniors that included Jo Jo Curo, Tyler Petropulos and Danielle Pelletier, all of whom have gone on to play lacrosse in college.

“It was crazy,” Larivee said of being an underclassman with that group of seniors. “Going on to a team where, I mean you know them, but you’ve never had a whole year with them. Being on a team where they’re so much older and you’re kind of living up to their expectations, it’s hard but it’s fun. It’s a challenge and I like challenges.”

Now Larivee is a senior with plans to continue her playing career at Bentley College next season. While there are other seniors on this year’s varsity roster, this season has been a bit different because the number of players with varsity experience was a little lower.

After learning the ropes at the beginning of the year, the Sabers finished with a 9-5 record in Division I and will open the playoffs next week with high expectations.

“We’re young, so not a lot of people had varsity experience,” Larivee said. “It’s been a really great season. We’ve definitely grown as a team. Each game, we get better and better. We’re getting to know where we are on the field, and we’ve improved so much from the beginning of the season.”

Having played lacrosse since sixth grade, Larivee had no doubt that’s what she wanted to continuing doing in college. As for choosing Bentley, a Division II school outside of Boston, she said it was just the right fit.

“I like the campus,” Larivee said. “I definitely wanted to go to a school I could get an education from. Going to a Division I school, I wasn’t sure I wanted that type of education.

“I love the level of play. There’s good chemistry on the team. I love the coach (Carissa Medeiros), the coach really sold me. She really connected with me and saw my potential.”

Larivee, who has also played varsity field hockey at Souhegan for three years, has continued to grow this season, taking on the duties that come with being a senior captain, much like the seniors she played with earlier on in high school.

“It’s fun because I think you’re definitely a role model and they’re definitely looking at you, looking for guidance,” she said. “I think we’re getting into the grove of how competition is here and how it’s different from junior varsity. They’ll have a good team next year.”