EAST LONGMEADOW — In a clash between two of Western Massachusetts’ top girls lacrosse programs — each loaded with Super 7 talent and college-bound players — East Longmeadow stormed back in the second half to defeat Longmeadow, 8–7, on Monday night.
The two teams split their two meetings last season, with the Spartans earning their first-ever win over the Lancers. Monday night’s victory marked just the second in program history over their crosstown rival.
“It’s a big win,” East Longmeadow coach Katie Moses said. “It’s always exciting for the girls to be able to do that at home, because they’ve got their hometown behind them.”
Addie Jordan, a Super 7 selection and Davidson College commit, ignited East Longmeadow’s third-quarter rally with consecutive goals that shifted the momentum and powered the Spartans’ comeback, capping the night with a hat trick in the victory.
Holy Cross commit and Super 7 selection Samantha Goodrich led Longmeadow with three goals, while five different Lancers scored overall.
Longmeadow falls to 3–5, with the other four losses coming to teams from Eastern or Central Massachusetts, while East Longmeadow improves to 6–3 and remains unbeaten against Western Mass. competition this season.
“They have a lot of talented players,” Moses said. “They have a great coach, they’re a disciplined team, super skilled. They play with a lot of structure. So, we knew they’d have a good game plan. They came up on us in the first half, so we were expecting a really strong game.”
Although Mianna Calabrese got East Longmeadow on the board late in the opening period, the Lancers controlled much of the first half.
Longmeadow came out hot behind first-quarter goals from Molly Henshon and Mila Szyluk, taking an early 2–0 lead. Defensively, junior goalie Nora Vanderhoof set the tone with multiple key saves.
Jordan had a prime opportunity to tie the game late in the first with Longmeadow up 2–1 but was checked at the crease just before getting her shot off.
The missed chance lingered briefly, but Jordan wasted no time making up for it. Less than two minutes into the second quarter, she capitalized on a free position shot and buried the equalizer, tying the game at 2–2.
However, the Lancers continued to extend their lead in the second quarter, sparked by Goodrich, who scored two goals in a row.
Kerry Conway and Chloe Anderson also added goals during a four-goal Lancer run that pushed the lead to 6–2. East Longmeadow stopped the run with a late goal from Sabina Mackechnie, but the Spartans trailed 6–3 at halftime.
Then, momentum shifted in the third.
Jordan scored back-to-back goals to complete her hat trick and narrow the deficit to 6–5. On a free position attempt by Kennady Marino, her shot was deflected, but Mckenna Witwer quickly scooped up the rebound and scored the equalizer.
Less than a minute later, Calabrese netted her second goal to give East Longmeadow its first lead of the night, 7–6.
“I think the girls just all collectively agreed to mentally stay strong and stay locked into the game and not let outside distractions or even prior conceptions about the game get in our heads and really just mentally fight through it,” Jordan said. “I think that’s what contributed to us really pulling through in that quarter.”
Early in the fourth quarter, Caroline Lukasik gave the Spartans an 8–6 lead, capping a dominant stretch that saw them score six unanswered goals.
Longmeadow had a chance to pull closer on a free position shot late in the quarter, but East Longmeadow goalie Jenna Hawley came up with a crucial save. After a timeout with just over three minutes to play, the Lancers regrouped, and Goodrich responded by completing her hat trick with under two minutes left to cut the lead to one.
Trailing 8–7, Longmeadow couldn’t regain possession in the final seconds, as Witwer held the ball and ran out the clock after a Spartans timeout with 35 seconds remaining.
Looking ahead, East Longmeadow hits the road to take on Agawam (5-1) Tuesday in a quick turnaround, while Longmeadow aims to regroup as they face Notre Dame Academy (Hingham) (6-1) on Thursday.
