Doug Reilly
Reporter
On Saturday, May 29, the girls lacrosse team could not climb out of a 7-0 deficit, falling to Wilton by a score of 12-8. The Rams had high hopes for this game against Wilton, especially because they beat them 20-14 earlier in the season. However, for the third consecutive year, the Rams were unable to come out with a victory in the FCIAC championship game.
Early on, both defenses were strong, and the Rams were getting some offensive pressure on the Warriors. However, Wilton struck first when Rachel Lowrie scored unassisted. Lowrie added another goal shortly after that, giving the Warriors a quick 2-0 lead. Two straight goals from Tessa Howard and one from Alexi Farmakis extended the lead to 5-0 in less than three minutes. 38 seconds later, Howard scored again, completing her hat trick, and Lowrie did the same just a minute after that. With that, the Rams were down by seven goals, and had no choice but to replace starting senior goalie Charlotte Spitzfaden with freshman Elizabeth O’Sullivan.
Despite the deficit, the players refused to give up. “I just kept thinking about what Wilton did against Darien because they came back from being down 7-0, and I knew our team was capable, we just had to execute,” senior captain Kacey Pippitt said.
The Rams were held off the scoreboard for 15 minutes before sophomore Sarah Mannelly finally streaked in for the first goal. Senior captain Anjalie Christie then put some life back into her team and the NCHS crowd when she took advantage of a Wilton player cutting across the crease, scoring on the free opportunity. Senior Erin Fessler and junior Liz DeTour also added goals, cutting the seven-goal lead to three.
But with less than a minute to go in the first half, Wilton got one back after Casey Pearsall scored, and the Warriors went to halftime with a four-goal lead.
Spitzfaden re-entered the game in goal for the Rams to start the second half. Pearsall scored again, giving Wilton a 9-4 lead. After almost 15 minutes of scoreless play, Wilton found the back of the net again when Farmakis scored on a free chance in close range.
Christie countered just 37 seconds later, and Mannelly cut the lead back to four, making it a 10-6 Warrior lead. However, Wilton shut down any hopes for a Rams comeback when Tessa Howard and Tegan Helms each scored, extending the lead back to six. Two more goals from Anjalie Christie at the end of the game made the final score 12-8.
Despite the comeback, Pippitt was clearly disappointed with the loss. “I was sad because I have been in the finals the last three years and have come up short every time,” she said. “And to watch a team celebrate is the worst feeling ever.”
However, this loss does not end the Rams’ season. The state tournament began today with a win 18-7 against New Fairfield/Southington.
Photos by: Jim O’Brien
