Norwell rallies to thwart Newburyport

LACROSSE

When doubt begins to surround Norwell, that’s when it plays its best lacrosse.

It started in April when not many pegged Norwell to make a run at a state title and continued with a come-from-behind win in the sectional final.

Norwell fought through adversity again last night, overcoming a four-goal, first-half deficit against Newburyport in the Division 2 state semifinals with a second half charge to secure a 14-11 win in a battle of Clippers at Babson College’s MacDowell Field.

Norwell (21-3) advances to its third state final in four years on Saturday against the Wayland vs. Bromfield winner.

“Everyone thought it was going to be a rebuilding year because a lot of our team is really young,” said Norwell senior captain Murphy McDonough (two goals, two assists). “We might not have the most skilled people on our team, but our team just plays together.”

Five first-half goals from Molly Rose Kearney gave Newburyport (23-1) a 9-7 halftime lead, but Norwell looked like a different team over the final 25 minutes.

Isabel Pithie made three straight saves to start the second half as Norwell surged ahead with six consecutive goals. Norwell took its first lead, 10-9, on a Maddie McDonough goal before Annie Hilsinger scored twice to extend the lead to 13-9 with 12:11 left.

Again, Norwell’s multipronged attack made the difference with Hilsinger netting a team-high four goals, while five of her teammates finished with two goals each.

Newburyport got within three with 6:56 left on a tally from Maggie Pons (three goals), but Norwell’s defense finished the job.

“There’s so many girls out there that always put the team first,” said Norwell coach Kara Connerty, “and no matter what we need them to do, they do it.”

Walpole 11, Longmeadow 10 — Sydney Scales scored the winning goal with 1:16 remaining, just 32 seconds after she tied the game, and the Rebels (22-0) rallied past the Lancers (18-3) in Chicopee.

Boys

Reading 11, Scituate 9 — Drawing on the full depth of their roster, the Rockets (15-7) earned their first spot in a state title game with a win over the Sailors (16-7) in the Div. 2 semifinal at Peabody Veterans Memorial High School.

After Rockets top scorers Michael Tobin and Jack Geiger were limited by the Sailors’ strong defensive coverage, they needed underclassmen to step up. Sophomore Colin Comerford did just that with a five-goal effort, while junior Dom Masucci joined in with three.

“We just knew that we had to step up and we couldn’t rely on them,” said Comerford. “We had to come to play today.”

Though Scituate won the opening faceoff, Reading quickly took over possession, and Geiger got the Rockets on the board within seconds. The teams battled evenly for a few minutes before Comerford found the back of the net for the first time. The lead was short-lived, as the Sailors’ Dave Murray netted two goals in quick succession to tie the game. Masucci’s swipe with three seconds left in the first quarter reestablished Reading’s lead.

Scituate struggled offensively in the second quarter thanks to strong defense by Reading. Comerford and Masucci added goals to give the Rockets a 6-3 lead at the half.

The teams went back and forth with goals to open the third. Matt Foley dug in and beat his coverage to bring Scituate within three with 6:46 left in the third, but Masucci’s third goal of the evening reopened Reading’s lead 36 seconds later.

The Sailors jumped out in the beginning of the fourth with a quick Luke Murphy tally. With 4:33 remaining, Murray scored his third goal to bring Scituate within two. But Reading pressed defensively, frustrating the Sailors. A Scituate shot rung the post with 2:12 left in the game, and goaltender Charlie Giuliotti made a flashy save with a mere 1:30 remaining to put the game away.

Cohasset 18, Austin Prep 5 — Will Thomas’ five goals, including a four-goal burst in the first half, propelled the Skippers (16-6) past the Cougars (17-3) in the Division 3 state semifinal in Peabody

Concord-Carlisle 9, Longmeadow 7 — Robert Doherty scored three goals, Derek Stout and Alexi Hunt each added a pair and the Patriots (18-5) held off the Lancers (17-5) in a Div. 2 state semifinal in Chicopee.