Anyone who has attended a Haddonfield Memorial High School girls’ lacrosse game the past three seasons has likely seen №26, Katie Pileggi, fire at least one ball into the opposing net for a goal.
Pileggi has been a goal-scoring machine for the Bulldawgs since making the varsity roster as a freshman in 2014. Pileggi has been Haddonfield’s top goal scorer the last two seasons and scored her 100th career high school goal just four games into her junior season during a tight, 11–10 overtime loss to Bishop Eustace on April 8.
“It was really exciting,” Pileggi said of the 100th goal. “The team kind of carried the excitement, too.”
Pileggi’s athleticism is apparent in the variety of sports she plays. Pileggi is a three-sport athlete, playing tennis for the Bulldawgs in the fall and swimming for Haddonfield in the winter. Pileggi also played soccer before high school.
Pileggi started playing lacrosse in eighth grade in Cherry Hill, just before Haddonfield’s youth program for girls started. Pileggi said the foundation for Haddonfield’s team today could be found in Cherry Hill.
“My earliest memory was the Haddonfield girls all playing on the Cherry Hill team together and just the chemistry being as good as it is now,” Pileggi said.
When high school started, Pileggi tried out for the lacrosse team and made varsity right out of the gate.
“I’d like to think that just with hard work, I could maybe have the potential for a spot,” Pileggi said. “But I didn’t think it could be like this.”
“We graduated our goal scorers and she came in and filled in the role,” head coach Jessica Blake said. “She was our leading scorer freshman and sophomore year, which is pretty impressive.”
Pileggi set a career-high in 2015 with 48 goals. In 2016, she started the season fast, scoring at least three goals in four of Haddonfield’s first five games. This included a four-goal game against Camden Catholic on April 2 and four goals in the Bishop Eustace game, the fourth of which was №100.
As much as Pileggi’s on-field skills have improved, the biggest area where Blake has seen improvement is with her leadership. Being a third-year varsity player, Pileggi brings as much experience as some seniors to the team.
“The last two years she’s always been a goal scorer, a little quieter,” Blake said. “This year, she’s bringing a lot of personality, a lot of laughter, a lot of leadership on and off the field. She’s grown into her role on the team.”
“I feel like I’m becoming more of a leader this year,” Pileggi said. “Even though I’m a junior, I need to keep the communication up and keep the friendships up on the team.”
Haddonfield opened the season with a 4–2 record in its first six games. Despite the team’s good start, Pileggi believes the team can improve.
“There’s always the potential to get better, especially for a team like ours which is kind of seen like the underdogs,” Pileggi said. “We like it that way. We’re always up for a nice surprise match.”
Pileggi knows she is a key part of Haddonfield’s success the rest of the way. However, she relishes being in the spotlight and hopes to lead the Bulldawgs to a deep postseason run.
“A lot is expected out of me, but I like it like that because it keeps my ability to work hard to the level it needs to be for the rest of the team,” Pileggi said.
