Franklin girls rebound vs. Wellesley
Over a week ago, the Franklin girls lacrosse team suffered a lopsided defeat to Notre Dame Academy of Hingham, and Panthers coach Kristin Igoe Guarino wanted to make some adjustments.
Going off Saturday morning’s 12-4 nonleague win over Wellesley, Igoe Guarino’s changes have all been for the better.
With a suffocating defense, balanced offense and consistent performance on the draws, Franklin led throughout.
Franklin is now 15-3, while Wellesley drops to 13-5. Both teams will be among the favorites in the Div. 1 state tournament.
Although the game was played in an increasing downpour, Franklin looked like it was playing in perfect weather, while Wellesley never found traction.
“I think we took the last two days of practice to work on some things, and the girls did a great job implementing that,” Igoe Guarino said. “Winning the draws, to playing good 1v1 and team ‘D.’ I think we were just solid all-around.”
“The draws were really a big factor in the Notre Dame Academy game,” senior Kaitlyn Carney said. “(Notre Dame is) a very talented team, and they picked us apart on the draw circle. That’s one thing we’ve been focused on in the last couple days. Just our first steps is what we’ve been working on, and it showed today.”
Franklin dominated on the draws, especially as the Panthers pulled away in the second half.
The offense took a little bit to get going, then found its way in the second half. Carney scored three goals, as did Jamie Tanner, and Katie Peterson. Lindsay Atkinson scored twice, and Gabi Consigli also had a goal.
“We try to have all seven girls on offense be a threat,” Igoe Guarino said. “That was really evident today. Wellesley has a zone, and you have to move the ball to everyone. Gabi Consigli got involved, Kaitlyn (Carney), everyone was willing to pass and shoot. They did a great job.”
The game started slowly, and neither team found much of an offensive rhythm early. But Franklin jumped out to a 4-0 lead, as an Atkinson goal with 3:19 left in the half gave the Panthers that advantage.
Wellesley cut it to 4-1 at halftime off a goal from Abby Beggans (2 goals), but Franklin pulled away in the second half.
The Panthers scored three straight to start the second half on goals from Carney, Tanner, and Consigli as they extended their lead to 7-1.
Beggans scored again, but Franklin answered with four straight to extend their lead to 11-2. Franklin goalie Maise Streesman and Wellesley goalie Bryce Lane each had six saves.
The Panthers are dedicating their season to Nick Gaspar, a Franklin High sophomore who died of cancer this week. The players wrote “Nick Strong” on their legs.
“We really were playing for him,” Carney said.