Upton giving Nashua North girls lacrosse offense, leadership it needs

Danielle Upton really didn't want to pay attention to what everyone was saying.

For once, the Nashua High School North junior wanted to shut out what her coaches and teammates were saying, but their cries of "one more" were hard to silence.

But after scoring a goal - her fifth - early in the second half of Tuesday's 23-15 win over Keene, Upton was just one score away from the hundredth of her career, and the rest of the Titans girls lacrosse team made sure she knew it.

"Yeah, everyone was going 'one more, one more,'" she said. "I was like 'OK, don’t pay attention.'"

Upton told herself that the goal didn't need to happen right then, there was a lot of time to get it. But after North won the ensuing draw, its offense went right down the field, and Upton found herself with a clear shot and the milestone goal just 30 seconds later.

North coach Chloe Audesse called a timeout and the Titans rushed out to surround Upton.

"We thought it might be the day," Audesse said. "We had anticipated it and hoped it would be because it would be at Stellos. It's a special moment for her. She teared up, it was cute."

It also carried a lot of meaning for a player who has put everything she could into not just the North lacrosse team, but the other two sports - field hockey and basketball - she plays for the Titans.

"It really helps me recognize how much I've put into this sport," Upton said. "This is what I love. I'm a three-sport athlete and to be able to hit that mark means so much to me."

Upton started playing lacrosse after her older sister, Kara, began playing and having success in the sport. The younger sibling thought if her big sister was doing it, she could, too.

"I wanted to be like her," Upton said. "I think it helped a lot to have an older sister who, immediately when she started, she succeeded so much. The team atmosphere is what I love."

This year, that's changed a little bit, as North will be without senior captain Gabrielle Masseur, who was the team's leading scorer a year ago. Upton has had to fill that void on the field, while trying to learn how to fill a leadership role as well.

"When I met Danielle during field hockey season, she always gave off a positive vibe," said Audesse, who is in her first year as varsity coach and is also the junior varsity field hockey coach. "She's an extremely hard worker. She was never one to dog it or lack any effort. Whatever Danielle does, it's at the best of her ability. She's just so easy to coach.

"I think (not having Masseur) made her step up some more. I don't know if Danielle felt pressure by it, but she definitely has stepped up if she did. Her goals each game are a huge help. I think she knew she had to take it to the next level."

The only pressure Upton felt was trying to do her best for a teammate she had played lacrosse with for a long time.

"The only pressure I think it added was for me to make her happy and play the game for her," she said. "I think it messed with my emotions a little bit because I've been playing with her for so long. There are a few girls on the team, we all started that year and it's been great working together and coming up together."

With the rest of her junior season still to go, Upton hasn't given too much thought as to whether she wants to continue playing lacrosse at the next level. Instead, she's focused on finding the right fit academically first, which wasn't a surprise to Audesse.

"She's the definition of a student athlete," the coach said. "She's a very composed player. She never gets mad, she never gets stressed out, she strictly plays the game. You would never hear Danielle talk about what she does on the field or off it. Whatever she does in life, she will succeed."