This past Saturday, Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse played Exeter in their first game of the season. Although the team fought hard, they came up just short against a strong Exeter team. Exeter has proved to be a formidable foe, as Girls’ Varsity lost to them last year too.
Choate took the lead early on with a goal, but Exeter came back quickly, scoring one and then adding two more goals to take a 3-1 lead. Choate had opportunities, but they were not able to capitalize on the opportunities they were creating. The girls continued to play well and generate chances, eventually scoring again to bring the game within reach again. However, like before, Exeter responded with two more goals, increasing their lead to 3.
Choate fought hard, and they played well even in the face of harsh adversity. After the Exeter goals, both teams settled into the game and the flow of play continued to bounce back and forth. Choate would score, and Exeter would respond, but Choate would come back with their own goal. Exeter would get a rush up the field every once in a while, but Choate dominated possession of the ball. At halftime Choate was down 7-5, but they still looked strong. Choate came out of the half fast, but it was Exeter who scored the first goal of the second half. The scoring slowed down, and despite a valiant effort, the Choate girls came up just short against a really solid Exeter team, with the game finishing 9-7.
After the game, attack Julia MacKenzie ’19 said, “We went into the game knowing we would have to work really hard. We didn’t win, but it was a really good loss for us. We feel good about how we played and look to play with that same level of intensity moving forward this season.”
Those who watched the game could certainly attest to the dominance that GVL showed at times, and Dr. Curtis even commented on the great performance from the Girls’ Lax team. Liza Diffley ’19 mentioned, “It was awesome to hear Dr. Curtis say that he had never seen a Choate team come out this strong on the first game. It was a tough loss, but we put it all out there.” Lizzy Mitchell ’19 also commented on the success that the team had as a unit, said, “We gave all we had out there and it was cool to see us come back together at the end as a team. I think that the loss showed us how amazing our season is going to be if we work as one team.”
Once the Choate offense finds its rhythm on the field, they’re going to be a very difficult team for the opposition to play against. They showed strong flashes of attacking and counter-attacking brilliance as well as stout defense to keep the game within reach, and that intangible asset of team chemistry and unity will carry them throughout this season.
