Lacrosse

Team Updates

Centaurs fall in quarterfinal

One of the strengths of the Woodstock Academy team this season has been its ability to win the draw.

That didn’t happen on Thursday against No. 13 Guilford.

“One of the differences was the possession. We needed to win the draw and they won the majority of the draws and had the ball the majority of the first half,” said  coach Kathleen Johnson.

That dominance led the Indians to a 14-7 win over the fifth-seeded Centaurs in a Class M girls lacrosse state tournament quarterfinal match at the Bentley Athletic Complex.

The Centaurs (14-5) got out to the early lead thanks to the play of junior Arielle Johnson.

Johnson scored two goals and assisted on a third to give the Centaurs the early, 3-2, advantage.

“We started off strong,” Arielle Johnson said. “We really were happy from our last performance (a 10-6 win over Mercy in a first-round match) so we had some momentum coming in, but they are a great team.”

But the Indians rallied.

Kathleen Johnson said the inability to get the draw did not allow the Centaurs to build any offense and it also meant the defense was severely tested.

Junior Nicollette Spotlow did most of the damage as she found the net often and finished with five goals while Olivia Clarke added four.

Madison Brennan led the Centaurs with four goals while Emma Redfield had two assists.

The loss ended what had been a historic season for the Centaurs program as it qualified for the state tournament for only a second time in program history; finished in a tie for the Eastern Connecticut Conference regular season title; made its first ECC tournament appearance and won its first state tournament match.

“It’s disappointing,” Arielle Johnson said of the loss. “But I think we did better than we thought we would do this season.”

Centaurs win first-ever state tournament match

The beat goes on for The Academy girls lacrosse program.

More history was made on Tuesday as the Centaurs , the fifth seed in Class M, downed No. 12 Mercy, 10-6.

It was the first victory in a state tournament match for the Centaurs.

"We made it to the (Eastern Connecticut Conference tournament) for a first time. This is our second time in the states and first time we've won. I didn't want my season to end so this is the best day of my life," senior Madison Brennan said.

Brennan had a lot to do with the outcome.

The Centaurs were up, 6-3, toward the end of the first half when keeper Kileigh Gagnon was whistled for a penalty.

She had to leave the net and give up shooting space to Mercy with an open net in front.

Some how, the shot went wide.

The loose ball was picked up by the Centaurs and quickly passed to Brennan who raced down the field. With 23 seconds left, she scored the back-breaking goal to give The Academy a 7-3 halftime lead.

"Absolutely huge, changed the game's momentum, it was just awesome," said coach Kathleen Johnson. "We were pumped at halftime. We had the momentum. We had intensity. The girls were feeling good about themselves."

Mercy tried to take some of that momentum away when they scored just 1 minute, 23 seconds into the second half but Regan Kasacek and Brennan (4 goals) quickly countered with goals to take the hope away from the visitors.

Emma Ciquera and Ivy Gelhaus added two goals each in the win for the Centaurs (14-4).

"It's the girls. We had practice (Monday) on a day off, working hard, and they don't want to stop. It's within them. We have girls who want to fight hard - Maddie did not want it to be her last game and she has really come on strong as a leader on and off the field - ww want to play, we want to win which maybe wasn't the same as in the past," Johnson said.

The Centaurs move on to play No. 13 Guilford in a Class M state quarterfinal game at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Bentley Athletic Complex.

Centaurs fall in semis

It was the first trip to the Eastern Connecticut Conference tournament for the Centaurs and, unfortunately, it came to an end in the semifinals.

The second-seeded Centaurs fell to No. 3 Stonington, 9-7, on the Bears turf Tuesday.

The Centaurs held a 3-2 lead at the half, but saw it slip away in the second half.

Freshman Bridget Horst led the way for The Academy with three goals while Arielle Johnson,  Madison Brennan,  Ellie Jellison and Emma Ciquera added one goal each and Ivy Gelhaus had an assist.

Brennan was honored as an ECC Division II first team All-Star while Horst and Ciquera received honorable mention honors. Katie Mason recieved the sportsmanship award for the Centaurs.

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