July 5, 2009
Wonderful one for Londonderry
by Mike Zhe/
It was a routine honed through years of playing together on the same end of the field. Before every draw, Londonderry (N.H.) High School senior defender Kelcie Malloy and senior goalie Taylor Hadcock would point their sticks at each other, catch each other’s eye and reaffirm that nothing would get past them.
With the minutes ticking down on Londonderry’s 9-6 win over rival Pinkerton Academy in the New Hampshire Division 1 championship game, and one last draw separating the Lancers (19-1) from their first state title, the routine got an addition.
“This time,” said Malloy, “after we pointed sticks, she said, ‘You better be prepared, because I am going to run and jump on you.’ ”
The anticipation to celebrate the first state title in program history, which had been simmering for four years, reached a boiling point last month. The Lancers’ win over Pinkerton was the final step in a progression that’s made this team unrecognizable from the one that went 5-12 the year before the seniors and coach Bob Slater arrived.
The Lancers won their first-ever playoff game in 2006. The next year, they reached the semifinals. Last season, the journey went all the way to the title game, where it ran into a destined Souhegan team that would send three of its players on to Division 1.
When the players looked ahead to 2009, there was no question what the goal was.
“I don’t know what this team was like before we got here,” said Malloy, “but I know it’s nothing like the caliber we have now.”
Under Slater, a former assistant with the school’s boys lacrosse team who owns a concrete business in town, the Lancers have built a solid foundation with defense. And they’ve added to it with some of the most skilled players in the state.
“I’m a big, big defensive coach,” said Slater. “For me, it’s discipline, stickwork and the ability to get into position. During our two-hour practices, an hour and 15 minutes are all about defense.”
That suits the Merrimack College-bound Malloy just fine. Comfortable with defensive positioning developed during years playing basketball, she gave up hoop this winter to focus on lacrosse, making sure her strength and conditioning were at peak levels.
And while the Lancers might be defense first, they’re not defense only.
After scoring 90 goals and setting up 43 others, senior attack Kayla Green wrapped up her career with a school-record 433 points. A starter since her freshman year, she’ll take her talents to Division 2 Stonehill next year.
Junior midfielder Dana Boyle, whom Slater calls “the smartest lacrosse player in the state,” is attracting Division 1 interest. She put up 68 goals and 83 points, showing a knack for dodging defenders and finding open areas.
Junior midfielder Marcie Marino (verbal commitment to Vermont) missed part of the season with an injury and still finished third on the team in scoring. Freshman Jenny Thompson scored 32 goals and established herself on draw controls, winning 80 percent in the playoffs.
Hadcock, the goalie — who made good on her promise to jump into Malloy after the final horn — also is headed to Vermont. And the team’s fourth senior, Meaghann Mellen, will play at Division 3 Endicott.
Since taking over four years ago, Slater has run his team almost like a college program. There’s an offseason weight training routine, and he’s arranged games with out-of-state teams to strengthen the schedule. This spring, the Lancers began their season with a four-game trip in Orlando, Fla., scrimmaged Eastern Massachusetts Division 1 champion Westwood and South Windsor (Conn.), and played another Eastern Mass. power, Framingham, in the regular season.
The 14-9 loss to Framingham was the team’s only defeat. The Lancers led 8-6 in the second half but were outplayed down the stretch — and learned a valuable lesson.
“I think at first we thought it was going to be much tougher than it was,” said Malloy. “Then, after we got a lead, we might have gotten a little comfortable. But that showed everyone that no matter what’s happening, a team can always come back.
“Losing’s not a good feeling. We didn’t want to feel that again.”
How far have the Lancers come? Before last year, they had never beaten Pinkerton, a school that sits just across Interstate 93 and has a state title (2004) to its name. But after beating the Astros in the championship, Londonderry has now won five straight in the series.
The championship game played out more like Londonderry’s 13-12 overtime win against Pinkerton early in the season than the 8-2 handcuffing it put on the Astros late in the year. The Lancers led 7-3 at halftime during the final at Southern New Hampshire University, but the Astros rallied on goals by Heather Carr and Kacie Connal to make it a 7-5 game.
But then it was time for Malloy and the Londonderry defense to close things out, which they did.
And they closed the elusive title out, too. One they were properly motivated to claim.
Before the Lancers boarded the bus to Southern New Hampshire for a semifinal game against Concord, Slater had his captains gather the players in the school gym. The gym at Londonderry is littered with championship banners for sports such as football and track, but not a single one for girls lacrosse or boys lacrosse, which started in 1978.
“I told them all to sit down, take a look around and tell me what’s missing,” Slater said.
It was sophomore midfielder Lindsey Conroy who spoke up first. And then she and her teammates went out and amended the absence.
“There was actually a place for it, too,” said Malloy. “I think that pushed us. That made it real.”
New Hampshire
Nothing odd about Bow’s run to the title. Except for the year. The Falcons, who also won Division 2 in 2003, ’05 and ’07, were by far the best team in the biggest games, beating Winnacunnet, 11-3, in the semifinals and Bishop Guertin, 13-7, in the final to finish 15-1. Alison Meagher and Sam Gallerani each scored four goals and set up two others against BG, as the Falcons broke open a close 7-5 game with three quick goals early in the second half.
Top-seeded Hollis-Brookline won its first title, outgunning Kearsarge in Division 3, 11-6. Behind five goals from Kati Sousa, the Cavaliers (15-0) capped a season in which they outscored their opponents 205-59. Portsmouth, the team that had won the previous two Division 3 titles, moved up to Division 2 this year.
Massachusetts
Kelly Rich scored four goals and set up three others, and Westwood celebrated its second straight Division 1 championship with a come-from-behind, 11-10 win over Longmeadow, avenging its only loss of the season on its way to a final record of 24-1. Down five late in the first half, the Wolverines scored 10 of the next 12 goals to go up by three with five minutes left and then held on for the win. Sarah Biron scored three goals and goalie Abbie Brown finished with 11 saves for Westwood, which survived nail-biters against Needham (overtime) and Wellesley (9-8) to get through the South bracket, and then knocked off Framingham, the last team to repeat as state champion in Division 1 (2006 and ’07).
Kate MacDonald and Molly Cox both scored five times to lead Norwell past North Andover, 15-6, in the Division 2 final, capping a remarkable tournament run that started when it was handed the No. 11 seed to start the Division 2 South sectional. The Clippers, under first-year coach Emily Stearns, sailed to their first state title since 2006 by upsetting No. 2 Duxbury (18-16) and No. 4 Hopkinton (16-10) to win the South.
Rhode Island
Lauren Bayuk’s double-overtime goal for Barrington put an end to a thrilling Division 1 tournament and returned the Eagles, thanks to a 10-9 win over North Kingstown, to the top of the state. Bayuk finished with three goals and an assist, and goalie Avery Griffith made 10 big saves. Last year, Barrington had its eight-year reign ended by newcomer Moses Brown. This year, it upended LaSalle in the semifinals, 13-11, as North Kingstown was using overtime to get past Moses Brown, 15-13. In the final against Barrington, the Skippers scored twice in the final minute to force OT.
Prout closed out its second title in three years, beating Bay View, 13-9, in the Division 2 final. Goalie Amanda Kalk came up big with 14 saves, while Marisa Morgera had three goals and three assists.
The future in Division 3 looks bright for South Kingstown, which got four goals from freshman Olivia Mattyasovszky in its 9-6 win over Warwick Vets. The Rebels led 4-0 at halftime.
Connecticut
Make it three in a row for Darien in Division 1. A once-robust five-goal lead on rival New Canaan trimmed to 7-6 with just under 15 minutes to play, the Blue Wave turned in their best stretch of play, pulling away for a 16-8 win. Courtney Bennett finished with three goals and four assists, and Sam Stevenson scored three times in the second half for Darien, which beat New Canaan for the third time this season and finished with a record of 17-2.
Andrea Westervelt scored five goals and 11th-seeded Immaculate stunned top-seeded St. Bernard, 10-4, to walk off with the title in Division 2. The Mustangs dominated the possession game, and goalie Shannon Paproski needed to make just seven saves for the win. It was the first state title for Immaculate (14-8), which won its previous three playoff games by a total of 12 goals.
Maine
In a repeat final, Brunswick once again celebrated a Class A title. And, once again, Kennebunk was on the other side. Leila Mills scored three goals and the Dragons cruised, building an 8-3 halftime lead on their way to a 13-9 win that capped an undefeated (15-0) season. Freshman goalie Paige Montgomery made eight saves and Brunswick excelled at keeping possession. Jamie Spang and Maggie Lavoie both scored three times for the Rams.
Another year, another championship for Waynflete in Class B. The Flyers celebrated their eighth state title since 1998 — and second straight — with a 9-5 win over North Yarmouth Academy, finishing the spring with a perfect (15-0) record. Morgan Woodhouse (three goals) and Hamilton College-bound midfielder Mariah Monks (two goals) led the offense.
Vermont
The winner’s circle has a new member. Top-seeded Rutland concluded its first championship season with an 11-6 win over Mt. Anthony in the Division 1 final. Freshman Grace Wright scored four goals for the Raiders (18-1), and her biggest two might have come right before halftime, putting Rutland back up 6-4 after it had let an early 4-0 lead slip away. Hannah Wright, Marisa Kiefaber and Melissa Gfeller each scored twice, and midfielder Ashley Boucher had a strong all-around game for the Raiders, who were playing in their first state final.
This time, Chelsea would not be denied. The top-seeded Red Devils — losers to Burr and Burton in the last two Division 2 championships — turned the tables on the Bulldogs, winning 9-7 to close out a perfect 18-0 season. Jasmine Braman and Michelle Upham both scored three times, and goalie Morgan Tullar made 13 saves.
