In a tough matchup yesterday, the FM girls’ varsity lacrosse team played at CNS to face one of the best teams in the area. The final outcome was a surprising and heartbreaking 11-10 win for CNS, but the match was crucial for the FM team, possibly changing the outcome of Thursday’s senior night home game.
With a delayed departure from the school and an expected delay for the game itself, the initial expectations did not seem the best. At CNS, the FM girls headed to their locker to receive the usual pep talk from the coaches, which as soon as the game began, proved to be their efficiency. With an early first goal by the Hornets, the game already started on a very positive note. However, after a hard first quarter, the score ended up being 4-2 for CNS, making the local fans cheer every time a player scored.
At the start of the second quarter, the FM bench was as lively as they could possibly be. “Normally we cheer more for home games, but because we wanted to win on senior night so bad, it helped the difference,” said sophomore Jordan Hearn, who also reinforced how much positive energy from the bench can cheer up the girls on the field. Unfortunately, the quarter still ended 7-4, with CNS three points in the lead.
The real turning point came after halftime. The girls played their hardest for all twelve minutes, frustrating CNS fans, who were silent at times, and forcing a timeout. In the end, they managed to finish with a 7-7 score, showing just how much effort they put in. Sophomore player Taylor Novack who scored 3 goals last night said, “I think our team really improved since our last matchup with CNS, we practiced a lot, and this time we were much better both offensively and defensively, and our goalie, Micaela, played amazingly.” Micaela ended up with 16 saves in total, defending 59% of CNS’s goal attempts.
In the fourth quarter, which turned out to be the most heart pounding of all, both teams kept scoring consistently, with it either being a tie or one point game every minute. With little less than one minute and a half remaining, the game, which nobody could predict the outcome, was over with the tie-breaking goal made by CNS.
However, even if FM ultimately lost, it was an extremely close game against one of the absolutely best teams in the area. Proud of their achievements (with CNS parents even talking to FM coaches and players in person to say how well they played), the team celebrated on the bus ride back to the Hornets’ nest. Being Micaela’s birthday, the coaches congratulated last night’s performance even more, handing out gifts to the players. “We took care of the little things, hanging on against CNS until the end to fulfill our goal, which was to keep our shot at winning high,” said Coach Tuck after the match.
With the last game of the season happening tomorrow, May 16th, at 7 pm on the home court, it is set to be a historic match. Facing West Genny for a senior night game, the girls feel even more confident than they felt before. So, be there, FM! And go Hornets!
