Girls Lacrosse Team Loses In Semis To Barrington

When the going got tough Thursday afternoon at Rhode Island College in Providence, the tough got going. And how.

After being outplayed for most of the first half by an inspired East Greenwich High squad, the Barrington High girls’ lacrosse team got untracked in the second half and pulled away in the final nine minutes to post a 17-12 victory over the Avengers in a semifinal-round match.

Freshman Mary Coogan scored a match-high 6 goals, freshman Madeline Soutter added 4 goals and 2 assists, and sophomore Kelly Dolan totaled 3 goals and 2 assists as the Eagles (15-0) took control after intermission and earned a berth in the state championship contest Saturday at 3pm at RIC against North Kingstown (13-2). Barrington has captured the last two Division I titles and nine of ten since the sport was recognized by the Rhode Island Interscholastic League in 2001.

But getting to the final this year was no breeze for the Eagles, who had defeated East Greenwich by a 16-5 margin in the teams’ lone regular-season clash this spring. The Avengers were ahead or were tied for the first 38:22 of the contest and stunned Barrington with brilliant offensive execution in the first half, combining aggressiveness with solid passing, ball movement and high-percentage shots.

Sophomore Marielle Kraft sparked EG with 5 goals (all in the first half) and senior Kiley Powers collected 4 goals and 1 assist in her scholastic finale. Goalkeeper Emily Rapoza was dazzling in the opening chapter and notched 9 saves.

Barrington never led in the first half and trailed by as many as four goals (7-3) with less than five minutes to play. The Eagles battled back to within an 8-6 deficit at the break and in the second period they asserted superior balance and depth.

After East Greenwich had controlled play in the first half by aggressively attacking the goal and scooping up the large majority of loose balls, Barrington utilized the same strategy in the second period.

“We didn’t play as well as we can in the first half and East Greenwich used every weapon it had,” said Barrington Coach Peter Brock. “In the first half, this was the best team we faced all season. We made some adjustments in the second half and it paid off.”

“Our game plan was to stop Kelly Dolan and Rebecca Gasperoni and we did that effectively,” said Avenger Coach Judy Davis. “Unfortunately, they’ve got a lot of weapons out there and it’s tough to cover everyone all the time.”

Goals by Soutter and Coogan in the opening 90 seconds of the second half drew Barrington even at 8-8 until Powers tallied twice to give the Avengers a 10-8 edge. Two scores by Dolan evened the count at 10-10 and another Dolan goal put the Eagles in front for the first time (and to stay) at 11-10 with 11:38 remaining.

After Barrington’s Chelsea Larisa (2 goals and 1 assist) and EG’s Anna Basile exchanged goals in the ensuring two minutes, Coogan and Soutter netted goals to offset a score by junior Samantha Blair (1 goal and 3 assists) by the Avengers and to push the Eagles in front by a 14-12 tally with 5:55 left. Barrington then played “keep-away” from East Greenwich the rest of the way, killing huge chunks of the clock with a deft display of passing and moving, and added goals by Dolan, Coogan and Elizabeth Teitz in the final five minutes.

East Greenwich started the contest by patiently attacked the Eagle defense and took an early 3-1 advantage on two goals by Powers and one by Kraft sandwiched around Soutter’s first score. After Barrington knotted the count at 3-3 on goals from Soutter and Coogan, Kraft hit the Eagles with a four-goal assault in a span of less than five minutes, boosting her squad’s lead to 7-3.

“Marielle Kraft was just unbelievable in the first half, but more than that, their whole team was getting to balls,” Brock said. “They were running plays I had never seen before.”

Barrington, however, did not quit and goals by Larisa, Cameron MacDonald and Coogan in the next three minutes sliced the disadvantage to 7-6 before Roxanne Comito popped in a goal with 14 ticks to go in the first half to give EG its two-goal edge at halftime.

“We played probably the best 25 minutes of lacrosse we’ve played all year, in the first half,” Davis said. “It was fun to watch.”

The loss concluded a memorable season for East Greenwich, which finished second to North Kingstown in the Division I-South standings and an overall record of 11-4. The Avengers had advanced to the semifinal round of the playoffs by ousting St. Mary/Bay View Academy of East Providence, 16-14, in a quarterfinal-round pairing.

East Greenwich certainly earned Barrington’s respect.

“Judy Davis should be Coach of the Year in Rhode Island,” Brock said. “Every weapon they had they used. She got everything she could have out of those girls.”

#1: Dejected, but proud, members of the East Greenwich High girls’ lacrosse team meet on the field Thursday at Rhode Island College in Providence following its 17-12 playoff loss to Barrington High.

#2: Carolyn Cruise, left, of East Greenwich faces off against Kelly Dolan of Barrington at the start of Thursday’s playoff match.

#3: East Greenwich goalkeeper Emily Rapoza deflects a Barrington shot over the net.

#4: Marielle Kraft (No. 4) of East Greenwich goes airborne to score one of five first-half goals against Barrington.

#5: Carolyn Cruise (No. 18) of East Greenwich fires a successful penalty shot on goal against Barrington’s Kate Clancy.

#6: Kiley Powers (No. 8) of East Greenwich passes to an open teammate.

#7: Avenger Kiley Powers surveys the Barrington defense.

#8: A loose ball attracts four players, but Megan Greineder (No. 10) of East Greenwich wins the battle for possession.

#9: Roxanne Comito, left, of East Greenwich juggles, but controls a loose ball despite defensive pressure from Barrington’s Rebecca Gasperoni.

#10: East Greenwich defenders Samantha Regini (No. 24) and Julia Ordog (No. 3) reach skyward for a deflected ball.

#11: Roxanne Comito of East Greenwich heads downfield with the ball.

#12: East Greenwich goalie Emily Rapoza (No. 22) and defender Samantha Regini (No. 24) block a shot by Barrington’s Cameron MacDonald (No. 14).