Making up for lost time
East Lyme re-learning some of its old tricks in girls’ lacrosse return
Norwich — It's been so long since the East Lyme High school girls' lacrosse team played, sitting out the 2020 season along with every other spring team in Connecticut due to COVID-19, that even coach Phil Schneider has forgotten some of the details.
"I'm still, myself and them, still remembering things every day," Schneider said. "I keep saying 'I forgot we did this two years ago.' I keep making notes for myself. There's a lot of little things we're trying to focus on now."
East Lyme, which last played on June 8, 2019, winning the Class M state championship over St. Joseph, finally found its way back to the field Tuesday afternoon with a 21-2 victory over Norwich Free Academy in Eastern Connecticut Conference Division I play.
Since the Vikings' last game, senior attack Nancy Alden had time to transfer to Ethel Walker School in Simsbury for her junior year and return to East Lyme without ever missing a game.
"We're lucky that we never had to play without her," senior co-captain Izzy Mazzi said with a laugh. "We lost her but we never played."
Sophomore Dani Bruno had four goals and an assist to lead the way for the Vikings in the season-opening victory, while Alden had three goals and two assists and Ryan Nagle had three goals and one assist. Abigail Belleville and Caroline Real had two goals each and Mazzi had a goal and
three assists.
"I was a little nervous," Real said. "But I had a lot of faith in the team. It was really upsetting (to lose last season). We were just eager to play."
"It's really nice to see this new group of girls work together," Mazzi said. "It's nice to see how we connect. We have a lot of individual talent, but I think we all connected. I think we have a lot of team chemistry and if we keep working hard, we can make it pretty far (into the postseason). Everyone's shaken off the rust."
East Lyme took a 4-0 lead in the game's first 4 minutes, 14 seconds, on goals by Real, Dylan Park and two by Alden. The Vikings led 14-1 at halftime against NFA, which had several players missing due to April vacation and injuries, and Schneider pulled most of his starting lineup with 16 minutes remaining in the second half.
Jillian Brunelli scored twice for NFA.
This season, unlike past years when it scheduled traditionally powerful teams from outside the conference, East Lyme won't have any experience playing teams other than those in the ECC until the state tournament. But Schenider believes the ECC will give the Vikings enough of a test.
Woodstock Academy was the 2019 ECC tournament champion and Stonington was the 2018 champ, at that time ending East Lyme's streak of 11 straight titles. East Lyme's senior class, Schneider said, including captains Mazzi, Real, Park and Ellie McCoy, are anxious to put their first title on the board.
"This is going to be a little bit of a different season," Schneider said. "But the ECC's going to be a challenge. None of these girls have ever been ECC champs. To be an ECC championship team, that's a goal they want for themselves."