John Frieders, Reporter
@john_frieders
On Thursday, April 25, the girls lacrosse team will travel to Darien High School to play one of their biggest games of the season. The Rams come into the game looking for revenge after falling to the Blue Wave during the regular season and both the FCIAC and CIAC Championships last season. This year’s girls-lacrosse-edition of the epic New Canaan-Darien rivalry game comes with national attention as well. The Rams are ranked fourth in the country and the Blue Wave are ranked fifth, setting up for an all-time game.
This year’s Rams team has 11 division one commitments which is the most in school history. The Rams have two girls ranked top 5 nationally in their respective positions. Boston College Commit Devon Russell is top 5 in the class of 2024 for midfielders and Notre Dame Commit Junior Ceci Patterson is the #1 goalie in the class of 2025. Devon has 114 goals and 24 assists in her career. Joining her in the 100 goal club is fellow Captain and Cornell bound Lexie Tully has an 132 goals and 49 assists. Darien brings 14 college commits to the table to counter New Canaan. Beyond the total 25 Division one commitments who will play in Thursday’s game both teams have incredible depth up and down the roster.
In addition to the star-studded player personnel on both teams, the Coaching matchup between New Canaan’s Kristin Woods and Darien’s Lisa Lindley is a historic rivalry. Coach Woods has consistently produced elite teams of the elite pedigree and has landmarked New Canaan as a town for elite Girls lacrosse programs. On the other sideline, Darien’s Lisa Lindley’s legendary 30 year coaching career.
Two of the biggest matchups will feature Devon going head on vs her club teammate and 5 star Duke commit Sadie Stafford. These two will take draws against each other with the opportunity to give their team crucial ball possession and opportunities on offense to win the game. Another key matchup is the ladies in between the pipes. In each respective net will be New Canaan’s Ceci Patterson and Darien’s Duke commit Hope Schoudel.
Whether you’re a die-hard girls lacrosse fan or you’re just looking for something to watch on Thursday at 4 this is not a game you’ll want to miss. If you can’t make the trip to Darien High School, both NCTV and DAF Media will be streaming the game and you can watch it at the link below.
