By DAN PAWLOWSKI
WAKEFIELD — The Wakefield High girls’ lacrosse team finished their season strong with victories in three of their final four games. The Warriors had a three-game winning streak in their last Middlesex League games, topping Burlington on May 13, Watertown on May 19 and Wilmington on May 21. Wakefield fell to Lynnfield 13-12 in the regular season finale.
The Warriors (8-10) were ranked No. 21 in the final Div. 3 power rankings released Friday morning. The brackets were released this afternoon after press time. With a projected 41 teams in the D3 bracket, Wakefield will need to travel for their first round matchup. If their seed of 21 sticks, the Warriors will play at the No. 12 seed, right now Cape Cod Academy. Nauset Regional, also located on the Cape, is another possibility.
Wakefield’s game against Watertown at Landrigan Field last week was a key, Freedom Division matchup against a team with a similar record and ranking as the Raiders are currently ranked No. 28 in D3.
The Warriors protected their home field, earning a hard-fought, 13-9 win and improving to 7-9.
The attack was once again paced by freshman Teaghan Johnson (6 goals, 1 assist) and sophomore Kiera O’Brien (5 goals, 3 assists). Junior Cara Carangelo added a goal and 2 assists.
The defense was also locked in, including senior captains Shea Suntken (6 loose balls controlled) and Maddy Taylor, along with juniors Emma Ickes and Tori Grace and sophomore Allie DeGray.
Junior goalie Alla Othman finished with 10 saves including 5 in the first quarter to keep the Warriors in it early.
“I was very pleased with the way the girls played,” said head coach Cara Luca. “Good ball movement on the offensive end, we had some great connections for goals. Defensively, we were able to hold them and had some good stick checks to cause Watertown to turn the ball over.”
Johnson, who also led the home team with 7 draw controls, got Wakefield going with two goals in the first quarter.
The Warriors broke it open in the 2nd quarter with five more tallies including three from O’Brien and one each from Johnson and Suntken.
While the defense settled in, Wakefield stayed aggressive in the 3rd quarter, adding four more goals (three from Johnson and one from Carangelo) to reach the 11-goal mark. O’Brien finished it off with two in the fourth as the Warriors held on for a clutch, league win.
Wakefield traveled to Wilmington on May 21 looking to avenge a previous, 11-6 loss on May 5 in what was technically played as a non-league game. The Warriors came ready to play, rolling to a 17-4 victory and improving to 4-1 against Freedom Division opponents.
Johnson finished with a season-high 20 draw controls to help the visitors maintain possession throughout the game. She also scored 5 goals.
O’Brien led the offense with 6 goals and 3 assists for an impressive 9 points.
Carangelo had 3 goals, junior Rory McNeill had a goal and 2 assists, senior Leah Conners had 2 assists and senior Ally Bligh and junior Talia Gilligan added goals.
Othman secured 5 saves as the Warriors cruised to victory.
Wakefield and Lynnfield were locked in a back-and-forth battle all game on Friday. The Warriors led 7-4 at the half but Lynnfield rallied, tying it at 9-9 after three before eventually holding on for a 13-12 win.
Wakefield honored their five seniors before the game: Ally Bligh, Conners, Suntken, Taylor and Ayla Willis.
“Throughout this season, the seniors demonstrated resilience and teamwork,” said Luca. “I’m so proud of each senior’s growth and the unforgettable memories we’ve created on the field.”
Those memories included Wakefield’s first victory over Winchester in program history, a 10-8 triumph on April 30, as well as a thrilling, 10-8 victory over Burlington on May 13. Burlington is ranked No. 18 in Div. 2 while Winchester is No. 28 in Div. 1.
Those wins especially should give the D3 Warriors confidence that they can compete with anyone in their bracket.
An update on Wakefield’s first round matchup will appear in tomorrow’s sports section.