It can be very difficult, leaving a place you have always called home.

Legendary girls lacrosse coach Kara Connerty found herself at a crossroads in the summer of 2024.

Following much consideration, she opted to turn the page to a new chapter in life, departing Norwell High School after a decorated tenure featuring state championships across an array of sports.

“I think it was just time for a change,” Connerty said. “I think in the summer, I realized that. That was a time where I did some reflection. It was definitely a difficult decision. I grew up in Norwell, I live in Norwell, my family’s from Norwell. But again, at that time it was the best decision for me and my family.”

But it didn’t take that long for Connerty to miss the game. She decided to find a way back to the sideline.

“Missing that fall season (hurt),” said Connerty. “But I knew that if a position became available for lacrosse, I definitely was hoping I’d be coaching by the spring. I find coaching very rewarding, working with young women, trying to empower them.”

Out of the blue, a job posting opened up. It just so happened to be at a fellow South Shore League institution, and a historic one at that when Cohasset High School began a search for a girls lacrosse coach.

“The position became available in January,” said Connerty. “I had left Norwell in August. When that position became available, I just thought: ‘What a terrific opportunity if they offered me the position for this season.’”

It only took a few weeks before the school selected Connerty for the post this past February. She became the latest in a string of four coaches at Cohasset the past four seasons.

Cohasset captured the Div. 4 crown last year with a 14-9 win over Ipswich in the championship. You’d think it would be a stressful task, trying to repeat while installing a new program.

Instead, it has been all systems go for the Skippers, who are off to a 10-2 start on the year.

Connerty began her coaching career at Cohasset as an assistant with its girls soccer team, as well as the school’s co-op gymnastics team with Norwell.

While Connerty coaches, players such as Reese Hansen have taken steps forward on the field. Like her older sisters Elle and Jane, Hansen has helped carry on a winning tradition at Cohasset as a hybrid athlete with the ability to perform just about anything on the field with success. This year, the senior has led the attack, sniping 23 goals and dishing out 17 assists. Hansen will also be following in her siblings’ footsteps, as she is committed to Northwestern.

“It’s been great,” Hansen said. “I’ve been familiar with (Connerty’s) coaching staff through Mass Elite, our club team. So I’d known her coming in, but so far our program is about halfway through the season, and it is just such a positive environment. She’s a tough coach, but I think that’s what we needed, especially after the successful season we had last year. I think we wanted to come in with a tough coach to keep us working hard. She brings so much energy, and has such a passion for the game, that it’s motivated us as a class and a whole program to play at our best. That’s what we plan to do.”

In addition to Hansen, Cohasset has been propelled by the Regan duo with Avery (23 goals, four assists) and Emily (21 goals, eight assists) each lighting up the scoreboard. Kate Greer has created plays offensively herself with 16 goals and 26 assists.

As of Friday morning, Cohasset was ranked second overall in the MIAA’s Div. 4 girls lacrosse power rankings with a rating of 8.2266. The Skippers have climbed to the No. 7 spot in the Herald’s top 25, and they have done so with impressive wins over premier schools such as Reading, Longmeadow and Moses Brown (RI).

However, their two season-changing games came against the likes of titans such as Penn Yan (NY) (an 11-8 win April 14), and the state’s top-ranked team at the time with a wild 11-10 victory over Notre Dame (Hingham) April 29.

“Both of those teams are just so talented and so well-coached,” said Hansen. “I think we knew going into those games how tough they were going to be. But we worked together and in the end, we came out with the win. I think those games will motivate us to keep pushing through the rest of the season, and hopefully winning some more.”

Cohasset still has a difficult schedule ahead, with games against powerhouses such as Sandwich, Hingham, Central Catholic and Norwell remaining.

Yet, it just feels as though the Skippers might just cruise given the way they have been performing.

“It’s just been such a wonderful experience thus far,” Connerty said. “The transition has been terrific. The kids have been so diligent in their work. Obviously, they’ve had four different coaches in four years, some of these seniors. So, I give them so much credit, because they really are a team-first program. It’s just a cohesive group of girls that want to work hard. They were just very enthusiastic from the beginning. The welcome that I received was terrific from them, the administration, the families. It’s just been such a positive start to the season.”