Third Time's the Charm

It's no easy task to beat a team as good as the Greenwich girls lacrosse squad once. Twice, even tougher. Three times? For the state title? Impossible... unless you're the Rams. The New Canaan girls lacrosse team knocked off the Cardinals for the third time in three tries this season, only this time it was on the biggest of stages as the 10-9 victory brought the program its first CIAC State Championship.

"It's phenomenal," senior captain Anjalie Christie said of ending her career on such a high note. "It's everything you could have asked for. We've had three chances at a state title, and to finally capture it is indescribable." 

To say the contest was a nail-biter would be an understatement. There were six lead changes and five ties throughout the game, with New Canaan getting the upper hand in the first half and holding off a relentless Greenwich attack in the second. Everything boiled down to the final three minutes, however, with the Rams holding the one goal edge and playing keep away with the Cardinals.

"The last three minutes seemed like they took forever," said New Canaan Head Coach Kristin Wood.

The Rams maintained possession, ran out the those final minutes, held their lead, and mobbed each other on the 50 yard line.

"It was just amazing," Christie said.

The teams began the game simply trading goals back and forth, with New Canaan freshman Olivia Hompe getting the scoring started and giving the Rams their first lead. Greenwich answered right back with a goal from Claire Feeney just a few seconds later, and it was clear from this point that it was going to be a tight one. Sarah Mannelly then traded goals with the Cardinals' Sarah Kramer, and the two teams would go back and forth until the score was knotted up at four. It was here, with five minutes left in the half, that the rain started pouring down and the Rams really turned up the pressure.

"We love the rain," Mannelly said. "We feel like it's our weather."

It must have been, because the Rams closed the period with three quick goals, two off the stick of Mannelly and one from Hompe, and went into halftime with an 8-5 lead. 

"It was huge for our confidence to finish the half like that," said Mannelly.

As good as the Rams were at the end of the first half, the Cardinals came out just as hot in the second. New Canaan goalie Charlotte Spitzfaden was drawn from the net early in the period and Feeney took advantage, netting her fourth goal and closing the gap. New Canaan's Elizabeth DeTour answered back with her third goal of the afternoon to keep the lead at three, but Cardinal Emily D'Erasmo cut the lead to 9-7. Feeney nearly put in another on a jumping turnaround shot, but it was expertly blocked by Spitzfaden. Tori Dunster cut the lead to 9-8, but Mannelly stepped up and iced the game with her fourth goal and gave the Rams a two goal cushion. Feeney would add one more for her fifth goal of the contest, but New Canaan was able to keep the ball away from her for the final moments and capture the title with a final score of 10-9.

"I knew it was going to be a close one," said coach Wood, "but it's such a great feeling to bring this title home."

For the seniors, the victory is extra sweet because of all the work it took to get to this point and also because of the missed opportunities of past years.

"It's so awesome," Spitzfaden said. "To end on this high note, it's just amazing."

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