The Masco Chieftains girls’ lacrosse team defeated the Danvers Falcons 12-7 despite being down 2 players on the field in the second half.
The game would begin as a wide open affair, as in the first minute of the game Masco would score two goals. After a faceoff win by senior Hannah Coleman, she would take the ball all the way down the field to put Masco on the board less than 30 seconds into the contest. Then on the very next faceoff, Coleman would once again win the faceoff and take the ball down the field, passing it off to freshman Caitlin Driscoll who scored her first of five goals in the contest.
“Starting fast is always the emphasis of every game. A strong start can establish momentum and set a positive tone for the rest of the game,” said Coleman. “Getting an early lead allows a team to potentially conserve energy later in the game and can create room to allow a few mistakes that can occur or even work on some things that we had been practicing the day before.”
But despite the rapid start by Masco, Danvers would not go away quietly. They countered Masco’s tremendous speed and fast break ability by leaving more players behind the center line, which prevented Masco from getting by the Danvers defenders. This strategy allowed for more possession time for Danvers, as they would score three goals rapidly and with 7:52 remaining in the first quarter, Masco would call a timeout to regroup as the score was tied at 3.
Going into the second quarter with the game having tightened up, the control was up for grabs. With Danvers up 4-3, early in the second quarter, Driscoll took control of the Masco offense, scoring her third goal of the game, tying it at 4 and then scoring her fourth goal of the game just minutes later to tie it at 5.
“Driscoll is one of the best players I have gotten to play with. Her IQ on and off the field is impressive, as she knows where everyone is at all times and hits everyone with great passes,” said Coleman. “She is a great teammate to work with as she sets an example for other players on the team even though she is a freshman. She is one of the team’s top goal scorers and reaching that accomplishment as a freshman is incredible. I see her going far as she has been a big asset to our team.”
But, late in the first half, Masco would undergo some adversity, as after 4 yellow cards were called against the Chieftains, they were forced to remove a player and play shorthanded. Shortly after the fourth yellow card was called, a fifth was called, and another player was taken off of the field. This meant that the Chieftains had to play the remainder of the game with two fewer players than the Falcons. Needless to say, this disadvantage forced changes to be made from Head Coach Jalen Aho.
“Offensively, we tried to attack from behind the net, as well as substitute players through the restraining line to keep spacing and force doubles to chase us out in order to regain an advantage using footspeed going downhill to put pressure on the defense.”
Masco would respond well to the challenge of being undermanned, as they would continue to put pressure on Danvers prior to halftime, scoring three consecutive goals that featured great ball movement to put the Chieftains ahead 8-5 at the half.
In the second half, Masco dominated possession of the ball, which allowed them to dictate and control the play of the game.
“[Valuing possession] was definitely a main talking point at halftime,”said Aho. “Thinking about clock and time management, playing 2-3 players down on defense is much more difficult than on offense.”
Masco was able to muster one goal in the quarter, which was once again scored by Coleman, who showed her speed and ball handling skills as she cut through the teeth of the defense to shoot a high percentage shot into the net. The Chieftains’ ability to possess the ball for the majority of the quarter limited the chances that Danvers would get. They too would only be able to put one goal on the board and at the end of the third quarter. The score was 9-6 with Masco still firmly in the lead.
In the fourth quarter, Masco would begin to pile on with offense, aggressively attacking the net at every opportunity they got. This would lead to them scoring three goals in the quarter, two scored by Coleman, who continued to dominate the game in the fourth. The game ended at a score of 12-7.
“Coleman is extremely talented. She is a Division 1 commit for lacrosse at Lindenwood in Missouri. She has the ability to use both hands, place shots and change the plane when attacking goalies. She is a pivotal piece of our offense and as a senior, gets a lot of trust and flexibility to read run situations.”