Chelmsford three-peats
BOXFORD — The venue may not have been familiar but playing at this point in the season is nothing new to the Chelmsford High girls lacrosse team.
On Sunday, the secondseeded Lions won their third straight Division 1 North sectional title, defeating topseeded Masconomet, 15-7.
Chelmsford (17-0) will visit East champion Franklin for the state semifinals on Tuesday. The Lions captured the sectional title in 2018 and 2019 before the 2020 season was canceled.
“We wanted them to leave as seniors the way they came in as freshmen,” said Chelmsford coach Ashley Rokas. “It’s awesome. This has been the only normal thing in their lives for the last two years. It should have been a four-peat, but to win three times in four years, we’ll take it.”
The Lions play their home games and many of their games on the road on artificial turf. Sunday’s contest took place on grass.
“I know everyone keeps harping on it being grass,” Rokas said. “But in lacrosse you’re not supposed to let the ball hit the ground.”
Chelmsford led 7-1 at the half and held a 6-0 advantage before the Chieftains scored their first goal, with 5:46 left in the half on a free shot from Bella Juliano.
“Our defense did a good job shutting down their 1v1 offense,” Rokas said. “Our goalie (Morgan Wright) did a great job.”
Wright finished the game with 11 saves.
The Lions scored their first goal with 4:41 left in the first quarter when sophomore midfielder Julia Pitts put in a goal off an inbounds play. She added the second one almost two minutes later. Ameila Kelley and Lead Green also scored for the Lions in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Sarah LaChance and Olivia Hall scored to make it 6-0 with 8:62 left in the half. Pitts added the seventh goal with 1:42 remaining.
In the second half, Sophia D’Agostino scored twice, as did Kate Krueger and LaChance. Green and Hall also added goals.
“It was just always a team effort,” said Krueger, a senior captain.
Masconomet (16-1) pulled within five goals, 9-4 after Taylor Bovardi and Juliano scored back-to-back goals while one player up early in the third quarter, but that’s as close as the Chieftains got.