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Boston Globe
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Reading ends Notre Dame (Hingham)'s Division 2 girls' lacrosse dynasty with stunning semifinal upset
Reading (20-3) held a 7-3 halftime advantage and after senior Molly Trahan scored with 8:10 remaining in the third quarter for a five-goal cushion, the lead seemed insurmountable. Then the reigning champs began the comeback. Goals by Ani Woodard, Adelaide Gannon, and Caroline Haggerty, who netted two, made it 8-7 with 8:59 to play. Related : Both teams called timeouts in the next five minutes with Notre Dame coach Meredith Frank McGinnis imploring her team — which was without North Carolina-bound All-American midfielder Emma Connerty, who suffered a knee injury earlier this season — to play with confidence, but the score remained the same. Each time Notre Dame (19-4) challenged, it was met by a wall of red defenders as the Rockets choked off the Cougars' offense. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Much like the field hockey team that calls Victory Field home, Reading forced turnovers and won nearly every 50-50 ball. Advertisement 'The defense played lights out. Addy [Mathews] played lights out in net and we did a great job shutting down their offense so they really couldn't generate a whole lot,' said Reading coach Rachel Moore. 'Every goal that they got they had to work their tails off to get.' Trahan finished with three goals, while Abby Shanahan, Quinn Donahue, Megan Shanahan (2 goals), and Lily Rodgers contributed. Advertisement The Rockets lost in the state semis in 2023 and in the state quarters last spring. But Friday they'll play for a state title. Walpole 14, Westwood 6 — In need of its best performance of the season, the Timberwolves didn't disappoint. Senior Caitlyn Naughton scored four goals and took part in every draw control for second-seeded Walpole, helping the unit finish 11 for 18 in a wire-to-wire victory over No. 3 Westwood to return to the D2 state final. Walpole (24-1) turned up the heat in the third quarter, stretching a 4-3 lead into an 11-5 advantage. 'It's the best performance we've had all year,' Walpole coach Mike Tosone said. 'Our ride is pretty relentless. If you're asking me what I think happened, I think that might be it.' Related : Emily Hagan and Sophia Fruci netted three goals apiece for the Timberwolves; Fruci, who added two assists, led the team with 5 points. The Wolverines (21-4) suffered their worst setback of the season after losing their first three games by a combined five goals. 'We worked very well together,' Naughton said. 'Our defense has never looked this good, it really came out on top today.' Walpole will be vying for its first state title in its fifth appearance, having lost in the final in 2016, 2017, 2018, and last season vs. Notre Dame (Hingham). Rather than a rematch with the Cougars, however, the Timberwolves will be facing Reading after the Rockets toppled NDA in the other semifinal. 'We're very motivated, our team has a lot of motivation from last year,' Naughton said. 'Coach has never won a state championship. We're really fired up.' Advertisement Globe correspondent Jake Levin reported from Weymouth.
Boston Globe
29-05-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
MIAA girls' lacrosse tournament: Favorites, sleepers, and players to watch for Divisions 1-4
Favorites: No. 1 Concord-Carlisle, No. 2 Wellesley. Sleepers: No. 7 Franklin, No. 11 King Philip. Related : Players to watch: midfielder/attack Kassidy Carmichael (Westford, Sr.), midfielder Allie Collins (Lincoln-Sudbury, Sr.), attack Olivia Comella (Wellesley, Sr.), midfielder/attack Kerri Finneran (Central Catholic, Sr.), midfielder Karleigh Mutch (Concord-Carlisle, Sr.). Best first-round matchup: Friday (5 p.m.), No. 17 Bishop Feehan at No. 16 Peabody. Longest road trip: Thursday (5 p.m.), No. 28 Barnstable at No. 5 North Andover; 99.1 miles. Analysis: The Division 1 champion is going to earn it. With star power at the top and depth all over, this field is a particularly impressive one. The University of Denver-bound Mutch (64 goals, 111 draw controls) will look to steer the top-seeded Patriots to their first state title. Comella (86 goals), who will play at Arizona State, and the No. 2 Raiders may be their biggest challenger. No. 3 Lincoln-Sudbury, No. 4 Chelmsford, and No. 5 North Andover are also dangerous, and Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Related : Advertisement Division 2 Favorites: No. 1 Notre Dame (Hingham), No. 2 Walpole, No. 3 Westwood. Sleepers: No. 6 Duxbury, No. 7 East Longmeadow. Players to watch: midfielder Caroline Haggerty (NDA, Sr.), midfielder Grace Maroney (Hingham, Sr.), midfielder Caitlyn Naughton (Walpole, Sr.), midfielder/attack Caroline Nozzolillo (Westwood, Sr.), midfielder Megan Shanahan (Reading, Sr.). Best first-round matchup: Friday (5 p.m.), No. 17 Hopkinton at No. 16 Methuen. Advertisement Longest road trip: Monday (5 p.m.), No. 20 Dartmouth at No. 13 West Springfield; 119.1 miles. Analysis: Division 2 is just as stacked as Division 1 at the top, with each of the top eight seeds capable of making a deep run. Both North Carolina-bound senior Emma Connerty of NDA and Quinnipiac-bound senior Emilie DeMaio of Westwood are sidelined with ACL tears, but both rosters are loaded with talent. Shanahan, Libby Quinn, and Molly Trahan Related : Division 3 Favorites: No. 1 Medfield, No. 2 Newburyport. Sleepers: No. 9 Bishop Fenwick, No. 11 Ursuline. Players to watch: attack Reese Bromby (Newburyport, Sr.), midfielder Izzy Kittredge (Medfield, Jr.), midfielder Maddy Lubov (Ursuline, Jr.), midfielder/attack Cece Levrault (Apponequet, Sr.), midfielder/attack Cate Noone (Foxborough, Sr.). Best first-round matchup: Thursday (5 p.m.), No. 17 Archbishop Williams at No. 16 Nauset. Longest road trip: Thursday (4 p.m.), No. 33 Martha's Vineyard at No. 32 Groton-Dunstable; 132.2 miles. Analysis: This year's field features the same top two seeds as last year, as Related : Division 4 Favorites: No. 1 Cohasset, No. 2 Ipswich, No. 3 Norwell. Advertisement Sleepers: No. 7 Pentucket, No. 8 Nantucket. Players to watch: goalie Brigid Carovillano (Manchester Essex, Sr.), attack Lyla Greenleaf (Ipswich, Jr.), midfielder Reese Hansen (Cohasset, Sr.), midfielder/attack Mayson Lower (Nantucket, Sr.), midfielder Holly Panttila (Norwell, Sr.). Best first-round matchup: Friday (5:30 p.m.), No. 20 Mashpee at No. 13 Tyngsborough. Longest road trip: Saturday (1 p.m.), No. 25 Wahconah at No. 8 Nantucket; 232.8 miles. Analysis: Related : Trevor Hass can be reached at
Boston Globe
08-04-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Notre Dame (Hingham) turns top-two girls' lacrosse battle with Wellesley into an emphatic rout
Fueled by five goals from the North Carolina-bound Connerty, the No. 1 Cougars (3-0) blitzed the No. 2 Raiders (1-1) and never relented. The Haggerty sisters, senior Caroline and eighth-grader Anna, added three goals apiece, and the Orlando sisters, senior Ava and junior Elle, spearheaded a stellar defensive effort. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up NDA led, 4-2, through one quarter, 10-3 at halftime, and 15-3 through three, then entered cruise control in the fourth. Junior Taylor Watts helped the Cougars dominate the draw, ground balls, and possession the entire way. Advertisement 'We know how powerful Wellesley is,' McGinnis said. 'Their offense is excellent. Their ball-handlers are excellent. They can score goals in batches. We knew that when we had the ball, we needed to make sure we finished. Otherwise, it was coming right back down our throats.' Sadie Lopez, Ani Woodard, Grace Rooney, and goalie Adair Routh were also catalysts for the Cougars, who provided a steady dose of physicality and toughness in the rain. Advertisement Junior Tara Battaglino paced Wellesley with three goals, Olivia Comella added one, and Kaitlyn Uller, Alexa Heller, and Abby Beggans also contributed. Wellesley hung around early, but NDA simply had too much firepower. 'We knew it was going to be tough,' Wellesley coach Steve Balter said. 'That is definitely not the way we expected or wanted to play. What we just talked about is, 'What can we take from that?' ' The Cougars, who have captured three straight Division 2 state titles, have now won a whopping 52 consecutive in-state games. Their last loss to a Bay State foe came vs. Franklin on May 18, 2022. Connerty remembers it very clearly, as she had a disappointing 15th birthday. There's no secret sauce. It's simply hard work, discipline, and execution, game after game. 'It's really cool,' Connerty said with a smile, 'but we're just looking to practice tomorrow and looking to Medfield on Wednesday.' Trevor Hass can be reached at
