By DAN PAWLOWSKI
WINCHESTER — The Wakefield High girls’ lacrosse team decided that it was time.
For the first time in program history, the Warriors defeated Middlesex League Liberty Division opponent Winchester with a thrilling 10-8 victory on Wednesday at Winchester’s Knowlton Turf Field.
“Enthusiasm and grit is what pulled the team to victory today. They left it all on the field,” said head coach Cara Luca of Wakefield’s historic win. “I’m just so happy for the girls. Their overall play and determination was amazing.”
The Warriors (5-7) had multiple standout players against the Red and Black (7-5). Freshman Teaghan Johnson had 3 goals, 1 assist, 8 draw controls and 5 controlled loose balls. Sophomore Keira O’Brien had 4 goals and 2 assists. Juniors Rory McNeill (2 goals) and Cara Carangelo (1 goal, 1 assist) chipped in on the attack. Junior goalie Alla Othman finished with 11 saves and the defense, including seniors Maddy Taylor and Shea Suntken, juniors Emma Ickes and Tori Grace and sophomore Allie DeGray all stepped up to help keep Winchester at bay.
Making the victory more impressive was the fact that Wakefield had to fight back from an early, 3-0 deficit. They scored 2 in the final 2 minutes of the first quarter to get back into it. The first goal was created by a long clear from O’Brien before Johnson eventually picked up a loose ball and finished. Johnson got the second soon after, winning the draw control and later deking before burying a shot past Winchester’s goalie and University of California, Berkley commit, Lulu Murphy to make it 3-2.
The defense stepped up in the 2nd quarter and Johnson’s work on draw controls along with help from senior Ally Bligh and junior Stella Carlino, helped the visitors maintain possession as Wakefield eventually took a 5-4 lead going into halftime.
“Those draws helped set the tone for us,” said Luca. “It was all about possession and making sure we kept control in such a back-and-forth game.”
The third quarter alone featured two ties and two lead changes but Wakefield was able to maintain a 7-6 lead going into what would end up being a tense and entertaining final quarter.
“The fourth quarter is where the intensity took place,” said Luca as Wakefield worked to earn a two-goal lead before shifting to a possession and defense approach. “Winchester was also playing down a player due to team yellow cards so we used it to our advantage.”
O’Brien scored after a nice cut to the net, making it 9-7 with 7 minutes to go. This is where the defense really stepped up to help keep the Warriors in control.
“The defense was on fire today,” said Luca. “They played with cohesiveness and communicated through zone defense. Maddy Taylor, Emma Ickes, Shea Suntken, Tori Grace and Allie DeGray did an outstanding job keeping Winchester out of the 8 meter while also forcing a lot of turnovers.”
Taking full advantage of the man-up situation, the attack controlled possession late in the 4th and sealed it with their 10th goal, scored by McNeill off a nice dish from O’Brien.
“We have been working on improving our offense and different strategies to get the ball to the net,” said Luca. “The offense did an amazing job finding the back of the net and each of our attackers had shots on goal. They are growing their confidence and it’s great to see.”
All the while, Othman made some big stops, including 4 saves in the 4th quarter alone.
“She had some key saves that helped us a lot,” said Luca.
Wakefield burned the rest of the clock to seal one of the biggest victories in program history, improving to 5-6 on the season.
The Warriors fell to 5-7 with a loss to Reading on Friday and will host Wilmington (7-7) today, 4 p.m. at Landrigan Field in a key, Freedom Division clash.