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STRATFORD, Conn. It wasnt as easy as the 17-6 victory early in the season but the Greenwich girls lacrosse team beat Cheshire again on Saturday, 9-8, to win the Class L CIAC state championship at Bonnell High School.
The third ranked Cardinals, 16-2, beat Conard, Ridgefield and Hall in tournament games to qualify for the championship against the top ranked Rams, 17-2, which beat Conard, Ridgefield and Hall.
I knew Cheshire would come out strong, they were prepared for us, Cardinals coach Caitlin Keane said after the game. We knew it would be tough but we were mentally prepared to fight to the end.
Greenwich built a four goal lead in the first half, but struggled to control Cheshire in the second half. The Rams tied the score 8-8 with 10:25 to play, but a goal by Cardinals sophomore Carolyn Paletta on a set play on an inbounds pass with 7:58 to play turned out to be the winner.
Paletta scored three goals to lead the team and said the game was really fun. It was stressful but we worked on plays and were able to get the win. I was happy to score the last goal.
Senior Claire Feeney and junior Sophie Waine scored two goals each for the Cardinals.
Senior goalie Hannah Jeffrey led the Greenwich defense, recording 12 saves and holding the Cheshire offense at bay.
Maria Blois led the Cheshire effort with four goals.
Keane, who coached Greenwich to a Class L state championship last year with a 12-10 win over Glastonbury, said this years win was awesome but bittersweet because it will be sad to lose our seniors. Twelve members of the team will graduate, but Keane is happy to have Paletta back for two more years.
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