Lincoln Sudbury Girls’ Lacrosse is Ready for the State
06/06/2023 6:15 PM
The DI MIAA Girls’ Lacrosse playoffs are heating up in Eastern Massachusetts.
The Lincoln Sudbury (LS) Warriors were dubbed the #1 seed early last week after a 16-2 regular season showing.
The Warriors dropped the last two games to reigning state champion, Westwood, and western Massachusetts foe, Longmeadow.
The Warriors look to avenge last years loss to Westwood in the Final Four, but before they can do that, they must take care of Hingham High.
In mid April, the two teams met on the LS campus where LS handed Hingham a big loss beating them, 14-2.
After waltzing through the round of 32 with a 19-4 beating of Hopkinton, the Warriors look to do the same with Hingham this Wednesday night at 5 on their home turf.
A Little Too Close for Comfort
06/08/2023 7:31 AM
The Lincoln Sudbury Warriors squeaked by Hingham High on the back of two sophomores, midfielder Ella Ryan and goalkeeper Lydia Mossi.
Mossi was solid all night in between the pipes putting together a noteworthy performance with 7 saves and only 4 goals allowed. To boot, she had a shutout in the second half.
Ryan was relatively quiet in the first, but later found her groove down the stretch. Just before time expired in the first, she notched a hard earned scoring opportunity by evading two defenders on top of the 8 meter to get to the cage. This was the the tide change the girl’s needed.
Ryan went on to score 3 back to back to back goals in the second to seal the deal for the home team. Ryan finished with 4 goals, 2 caused turnovers, and 2 draw controls.
Both only sophomores, the lights proved to not be too bright for the young duo.
And what they might lack in experience, they make up for in courage.
It appears the moment does not overwhelm them. This is their second time suiting up for a second round state playoff game, and they appeared to feel comfortable out there alongside some upperclassmen leaders
One of the great leaders of this quad, Lydia Canavan, had a powerhouse showing on defense this evening. Canavan stunned the Hingham offense twice towards the end of the first half which helped change the tides alongside Ella Ryan’s goal.
After one smooth interception on a skip pass across the 12, Canavan took off down broadway. Only when the slide finally came did she dump the ball to senior Reagan Malo. Malo dunked it home, and the Warriors never looked back.
Canavan created 4 more possessions in the second half off of interceptions paired with her tenacious work on the draw circle (1 A, 6 CT, 3 DC).
Though the talk around town is now ‘can they really win it all after that?’ the LS faithfuls know they certainly can.
LS will play the winner of Central Catholic, Chelmsford this Saturday at home in the third round with a chance to advance to the Final Four for the second year in a row.
A Familiar Feeling: The Elite Eight
06/09/2023 10:59 AM
Yesterday afternoon, Central Catholic did just enough to beat Chelmsford High School and advance to the Elite Eight to take on the number 1 seeded Lincoln Sudbury Warriors.
After a sloppy, nerve ridden showing by the Warriors on early Wednesday night, Central Catholic is feeling quite good about the chance to take down the 1 seed.
But LS has no plans of losing on their home turf.
The Warriors have been hitting the books hard on Central Catholic. With two all-staff film sessions under their belt already, the practice plans have been adjusted to replicate Central Catholic’s offensive and defensive sets accordingly.
These two teams have not met yet this year, and this bodes well for the home team.
LS runs an advanced zone defense that you rarely see in a high school team. Most first time teams are stunned on how to beat it, both players and staff.
Only time will tell if Central Catholic did their homework ahead of this weekends match up.
The stage is set for this Saturday at 4pm on the Lincoln Sudbury stadium field.
Also Feeling Familiar: The Final Four
06/11/2023 1:48 PM
Yesterday afternoon’s Elite Eight battle between the Warriors and Central Catholic did not disappoint.
Lincoln Sudbury emerged victorious after what was a game of runs for both teams. LS just made their runs go a little farther and last a little bit longer.
LS came out hot in the first 15 minutes of the 25 minute half.
Sophomore Ella Ryan picked up where she left off last game by starting off the scoring with a right to left split dodge off the re attack straight down broadway.
A save by sophomore Lydia Mossi sent LS into the clear. Davidson College commit, Lydia Canavan, did her best to protect her ball as she darted up the field, but a swarm of Central Catholic attackers made it too difficult.
CC began to charge on a fast break the other direction when an outstretched Sophie Ward cleanly snagged the pass out of mid air. With the play of the game, she safely delivered it to the attack.
For the next ten minutes, LS was all gas no breaks. With only 10 minutes remaining in the half, CC called timeout down 7-2.
A great time out call by the CC staff as momentum shifted to their side. CC held LS scoreless in the final ten minutes, and CC packed on three more goals before the half.
With the final 25 minutes on the scoreboard and LS leading by 2, it was anyone’s game.
A back and forth display of scoring kept the game tight until the final 8 minutes when, one again, Ella Ryan had had enough of the tight game.
The young midfielder buried two more in the back of the cage to put her team up 3 with 4 minutes left to play.
LS drew possession on the following draw and stalled until the perfection shot came about.
On a pretty, lefty-up, feed from junior Ava Vadgama, freshman attacker, Lexi Morrisey, quick sticked the ball home just before the final buzzer.
LS returns to the Final Four for the second year in a row. The Warriors are slated to play Reading High School. This will be Reading’s first trip to the Final Four, and LS’s fourth in the last 10 years.
For the First Time in Forever: The State Championship
06/14/2023 3:31 PM
They have done it. The Warriors of LS Girls’ Lacrosse has made it back to the State Championship game for the first time in over three decades.
This will be the first MIAA State Championship game for head coach, Kaillie “KB” Briscoe Kelly. Briscoe Kelly is in her sixth year at the helm of the program.
Though LS was no stranger to winning before KB took over, it had been awhile since LS has been a real contender against the state’s best teams.
In her six years, KB has helped the team advance a step further every year (COVID exceptions).
Will this finally be the year LS brings home the real hardware? Or will the lights prove to be too bright for the young ladies.
Only time will tell.
The Warriors will meet the reigning state champs, Westwood High School, on Saturday at noon to decide this years champion.
A Little Rain Can’t Stop Them – It Can Only Postpone it
06/17/20238:40 PM
The month of June has provided us with nothing but unpredictable weather in Massachusetts. And the final weeks are proving to be no different.
On Friday afternoon the MIAA Tournament coordinators heeded the advice of their iPhone weather app and postponed the game until Sunday at noon.
The news did not come as much of a shock to the two teams and their fans. A weather delay is as common as seeing a fan holding a cup of coffee from Dunkin’ in the stands.
As the LS coaching staff scrambled to find indoor space to practice earlier today, the girls remained eager to compete.
LS is back in the State Final for the first time in 35 years. The team’s motto says it best; “We got this. You got this. I got this.”
33 Years Later, They’ve Done It!
06/22/2023 9:30 PM
In a back and forth battle that had the fans on their feet this past Sunday, the Lincoln Sudbury Warriors walked away with a 10-9 win and a State Championship trophy.
Senior Reagan Malo was the gas in the engine for the Warriors in the first half of the game. After going down 3-0 to the perennial power house, Westwood. Malo decided to take matters into her own hands.
Malo lit up the back of the cage with three back to back to back goals to tie the game. From then on, Westwood and Lincoln Sudbury traded goals until sophomore Ella Ryan scored two back to back goals to give the Warriors the final lead.
The cherry on top was sophomore net-minder Lydia Mossi making a super hero save in the final minute of the game to seal the deal.
Lincoln Sudbury senior captain and Massachusetts player of the year, Lucy Davis, discusses just how special this feeling was; “It feels unreal, it feels amazing to win.” Davis is headed to Michigan in the fall to continue her academic and lacrosse career alongside her sister, Caroline.
“It means so much to finally give a state title to them [the alumni]. The whole game we felt their spirit and their presence that helped lead us to the win” said the younger Davis.
Though the senior was unable to suit up during the playoffs due to an ACL tear, her presence was felt all year long.
“Lucy played a huge role in getting us to this point. Her presence on field is second to none. She proved how great she was this season” said fellow senior Claire Jones.
Davis’ senior class, the six of them, will leave big shoes to fill for the program, but she is not worried about the younger girls being reluctant to step up.
“I think LS is in good hands. Harper, Ella, and both Lydia’s have what it takes to repeat” said Davis.
Lincoln Sudbury will enter the next season with a big target on their back as they end the season as the unanimous one seed.
Just the Beginning
06/24/2023 7:14 PM
What may seem like the end to a historic season for the Lincoln Sudbury Girls’ Lacrosse Warriors, is actually the beginning of a new chapter.
“This team set a standard for teams to come” said assistant coach Maesa Phongsmouth.
“We’ll look to build upon this past seasons success and be ready to bring on next season” the newly crowned state champion coach added.
As captain Lucy Davis mentioned a solid core will be returning to the field next spring, and those players will continue to be pushed by Phongsmouth and her co-coaches.
“We’re all on the same page with the same mindset and goals” Phongsmouth added while discussing next season’s goal already.
The sun may have just set on the championship win, but the Lincoln Sudbury coaching staff has already begun to work on next seasons quest.
Switching Gears to Summer Lacrosse
06/25/2023 5:25 PM
Longer nights, hotter days, and muggier afternoons can only mean one thing; summer lacrosse is here.
The Lincoln Sudbury girls’ lacrosse team has now gone their separate ways as the club lacrosse summer season is underway once again. For the newly graduated seniors, this summer is one of independence. There will be no tournaments, but a whole lot of accountability.
Those recent graduates who have committed to play in college come next spring are busy running themselves down at the turf field. When they are lucky, they are able to get a group of them together to run the sprints.
“It makes a difference to train with your teammates before freshman fall” said senior graduate and Bucknell commit, Katie Wolin, “We all look forward to seeing each other on that field, our field, whenever we can” she added.
The returning Warriors players are now dressed in different uniforms and already on fields across the east coast. The younger players look to do two things this summer, sharpen their skill set, and earn an opportunity to play at the college level.
It is a long summer, but before they know it, the girls will be back in the red and blue battling alongside one another in an attempt to be back to back state champions for the first time in their history.
