Sports Recap: Winchester Lacrosse Finishes Impressive Season

The Winchester girls lacrosse team may have entered the 2011 season as defending Division 2 North champions, but it was in name only.

The Sachems , including all-time leading scorer Lauren Sullivan and three other college-bound players. Only four starters returned, and one tore her ACL 10 minutes into the season.

Beyond that, three new starters had only one year of experience playing the sport, the goalie was untested, and the Sachems were pounded by Andover in their first scrimmage.

But despite a difficult array of injuries and illnesses — Michaela Chiuccariello, Kate Wendell and Megan Hennessey were the only players who started every game — the Sachems (18-3-2) still managed to and get back to the state final, where they fell

"Most of my team were sitting in the bleachers watching the finals last year," coach Suzanne Ontso said. "For us it's been a year a lot of teaching, a lot of figuring stuff out. But different players stepped up in different times and the girls have just been working so hard, and I think losing so many players made us more balanced."

It was Winchester's seventh state final appearance since 2001. The Sachems also won the Middlesex League with a 9-1 record, splitting against Belmont and sweeping everyone else.

As usual, the team supplemented its league schedule with tough non-conference games against Division I powers. The team lost to eventual Division I champion Westwood, but tied 2010 champion Framingham and Acton-Boxborough and beat King Philip.

Because of the non-league losses, Winchester started the postseason as the No. 3 seed, but scored the first 10 goals in the tournament opener against No. 14 Manchester Essex and won 17-7. Hennessey, Wendell and McKenzie Tucci all had hat tricks and Hennessey set a team record with her 41st assist of the season.

The Sachems also ran out to a nine-goal halftime lead in its next game, , as Emy Stratton scored four goals and Hennessey had three goals and three assists.

Winchester was finally pushed against No. 2 Weston in the semifinals, leading by just one at halftime, but Wendell scored three of her five goals in the second half as the Sachems pulled away for a 14-10 victory.

Winchester used another strong second half in the North final against top seed Ipswich, scoring nine unanswered goals to win 16-6. Erin Maki made eight saves and Chiuccariello, who would be named the team's MVP, shut down Ipswich's top offensive player in the second half. Wendell recorded another five-goal game to lead the offense.

Looking to go one step further than the 2010 squad and win the state title, Winchester scored 15 goals in the championship game but it wasn't enough against Hopkinton. Hennessey had five goals and Sarah Onhigian and McKenzie Tucci added three each for the Sachems.

"It stinks to lose two years in a row, but I'll take losing in a state final every year over not making it to the state final," Ontso said. "I think it just makes them more hungry for next year."