Mashpee girls lacrosse player scores 100th goal in senior year

Callia Eaton of Mashpee moves ahead of Grace Carbone of Middleboro during a game on May 23, 2022, in Mashpee. Ron Schloerb/Cape Cod Times

In eighth grade, Callia Eaton was convinced by her friend and soccer teammate Samantha Morry to pick up a lacrosse stick, and since then, she has not put it down.

Mashpee's Eaton proved the decision to play lacrosse was a good one. She scored her 100th career goal in a 16-1 win over Dennis-Yarmouth on May 12.

"If I'm being honest, I had no idea that I reached that goal," Eaton said. "I knew I had been close because of how many goals I have gotten in past seasons."

Eaton is a three-sport athlete, also playing soccer and participating in track & field for Mashpee High School as a senior. She started with soccer and track in seventh grade before choosing lacrosse.  

"All my friends were doing lacrosse and I was constantly around people that were playing lacrosse and hearing about how fun it was," Eaton said.

Mashpee lacrosse head coach Todd Franks said Eaton is the truest grit player and will hustle until she can't breathe.

"There is no give-up in this girl," Franks said Thursday. "She can pass, she can throw, she can score, she can defend. She is that complete player."

Morry, a senior who has played lacrosse and soccer with Eaton since their childhood, said she is the best teammate she has ever played with. 

"She is a teammate that, not only always has your back, but she has the same morals of the sport and she is so committed to every sport she plays," Morry said. "She has the team culture that everyone looks for in a teammate."

Morry scored her 100th goal on April 12 in a 15-4 win over Nauset and said Eaton is one of those players who does the big things that get noticed such as scoring goals and getting assists, but other things as well. 

"She consistently does the little things that matter like coming up with ground balls and draw controls to gain possession, or celebrating your team's success and motivating everyone," Morry said. "I feel like the little things are just as important."

Mashpee is currently 17-4-0, which is a new Mashpee girls lacrosse record and the most wins in school history in any girls sport. Franks said Eaton has been an outstanding coach this season, which has helped the team's success. 

"She is blunt by telling it like it is but the girls always know it's in their best interest," Franks said. "They don't take it personally or negatively and they know that she is trying to make them a better player."

Eaton and Morry make it easier for everybody else to move around, get open, get passes, and be more accessible for everybody else, he said, adding that this team is different from the previous seasons because of the bond they share.

"They all have so much respect for each other," Franks said. "Nobody takes anything negative. Everybody knows that everyone on this team is trying to make each other better. They all feed off each other."  

Eaton said she thinks this team is going to make a really good run in the playoffs. 

"I think we have a strong defensive line and our goalie (Julia Tenore) is really good and holds it down," Eaton said. "Our defense as a whole is really solid and our midfielders with me, Sam and Tassia have been consistent all year and our attack is very well-rounded." 

Upon graduation, Eaton will attend the University of Massachusetts Boston, where she will play soccer and study nursing.