Solid defense sparks Franklin by Patriots
FRANKLIN >> A quick start and solid defensive play helped lead No. 7 Franklin to a 7-3 girls lacrosse victory over No. 10 Concord-Carlisle in the second round of the Division 1 MIAA Tournament.
The battle was a rematch of the 14-13 overtime victory for the Panthers from May 16 and Panthers coach Kristin Igoe Guarino said her team’s defensive play was the key to this victory.
“We were playing as a unit,” Igoe Guarino said. “We were fortunate enough to play them a few weeks ago and we knew some of their tendencies.”
The Panthers dominated at the jump, scoring the first five goals of the game. Three of those tallies came from junior Katie Ryan, and she said that the depth of the offensive unit helped her achieve this.
“A huge part of the game together was putting the pieces together on offense,” Ryan said. “I think we have a great lineup, and it was making sure everyone gets a touch.”
The Patriots called a timeout and then rallied to score three straight to end the half. While this was concerning for Franklin after the great start, Igoe Guarino knew Concord-Carlisle could score at any moment.
“We started hot, but we knew it wasn’t going to be a cakewalk,” Igoe Guarino said. “They are a really talented team and had some really good players. We stuck to our game plan, we were tenacious on draws, we rode hard and our defense was locked down.”
The second half saw excellent goaltending from sophomore Ella Mahoney, who was making her return after missing the last few games to an injury. She neutralized several high-quality Patriot chances and said a focus on positioning helped her performance.
“I was fixing my angles,” Mahoney said. “I was staying closer to the pipes and moving my stick where the ball was going. That really helped me make some crucial saves.”
The Panthers added two additional goals in the final half but melted the clock away with several long possessions. Ryan said that maintaining composure fueled this strategy.
“I think the important thing is to make sure we keep our cool,” Ryan said. “The other team is going to get aggressive, so making sure we play our game is necessary.”
Ryan’s three goals were supplemented by single tallies from Kaitlyn Carney, Lindsay Atkinson, Jamie Tanner and Katie Peterson. Concord-Carlisle received two goals from Lydia Karle and one from Willow Cyr.
The victory advanced the Panthers into the quarterfinals. Igoe Guarino said scoring will be the team’s focus as they look toward that matchup.
“We definitely have to continue to work on how to put the ball into the net,” Igoe Guarino said. “Moving forward, we are going to have to score more than seven.”