Concord-Carlisle girls lacrosse wins opener
The Concord-Carlisle girls lacrosse team opened the season big on Saturday with a 10-7 win against a strong competitor, North Andover.The cold and wet conditions made things slippery for both teams, but the Patriots began with three straight goals by Cassidy Hale and captains Hanna Dudley and Johanna O’Neil.
Senior captain, Sophie Shipe stepped up with a key assist and two ground balls in the first half. The flow of play was often dictated from the back, as the Patriots repeatedly came up strong on defense, with Payton Vaughn, Annie Wilson, Audrey Hunt and Allie Haney reversing North Andover’s momentum with key ground balls and forced turnovers, led by the expertise of captain Brianna Stout. Kylee Bowen debuted with five ground balls, a forced turnover and an assist. Sophomore Molly Dibble notched her first ground ball.
The Concord-Carlisle girls lacrosse team opened the season big on Saturday with a 10-7 win against a strong competitor, North Andover.The cold and wet conditions made things slippery for both teams, but the Patriots began with three straight goals by Cassidy Hale and captains Hanna Dudley and Johanna O’Neil. Senior captain, Sophie Shipe stepped up with a key assist and two ground balls in the first half. The flow of play was often dictated from the back, as the Patriots repeatedly came up strong on defense, with Payton Vaughn, Annie Wilson, Audrey Hunt and Allie Haney reversing North Andover’s momentum with key ground balls and forced turnovers, led by the expertise of captain Brianna Stout. Kylee Bowen debuted with five ground balls, a forced turnover and an assist.
Sophomore Molly Dibble notched her first ground ball. After senior Grace Andonian bounced a quick shot to increase the lead to four before the half, the defense stepped up again. Abby Flynn made four consecutive big saves, including one off a free position shot, that shut down the Knights for much of the second half, keeping C-C’s four-goal lead and the fans excited enough to stay warm.
Coach Paul Morrison said, “That was a gutsy North Andover team we beat. Their best player was out injured and we still had our hands full. It wasn’t the prettiest win, but it’s a good win to build upon early in the season. Abby Flynn was great in goal for us. After two years as a back up she earned the start and more than capitalizes on that opportunity.” Threatening attacks generated from North Andover’s strong midfield were repeatedly turned back by the Patriot’s defense before the Knights had the chance to finish. The Patriots looked good on draw control, with captains Dudley , O’Neil and Madeline Leahy picking up where they left off last season, Dudley with four, O’Neil with two and Leahy with five draw controls.
Written by Teresa Leahy.
Photos by Andy Dudley and Dave Andonian.