Sports
Middletown Falls In Division, Gansett Gains Ground
In a battle for sole possession of third place in Division II South, the Islanders dropped a key game that could have a big impact on their playoff future.
The Girls Lacrosse Team dropped a Division II South game against Narragansett High on Wednesday with a 13-10 upset. The two teams entered the game tied for third at (8-4) in the division. Narragansett jumped out to a quick 4-1 lead in the first half and it seemed for a little while that the game may quickly spiral out of the Islanders' hands.
Not the case. Middletown turned on the offensive jets and went on a tear. Back-to-back goals from Zoe Mazzulli, a goal from Sunny "Flash" Kennedy and a goal from Elizabeth Durgin gave the Islanders the lead, 5-4, with just over two minutes to play in the half.
The wind was briefly taken out of the Islanders' sails as Gansett tied it up at 5 nearing the two-minute mark.
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Middletown surged back and scored seconds later to take the lead back once more, 6-5. The first half horn sounded and the Islanders had the lead.
The second half saw a blitzkrieg of goals from both teams. The Mariners scored right out of the gate in the second half, tying the game at 6. Zoe Mazzulli picked up a hat trick a minute later as she put her third goal in the Gansett net to give her team the lead again, now up 7-6.
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The Islanders Sunny Kennedy blasted down field and scored her second goal of the day to give her team an 8-6 lead. Kindred Lowman added another goal to the Islander total to give Middletown a small cushion, now up 9-6.
Gansett responded yet again with a goal to cut the lead to 2. Islander senior Kirsten Perry sent a rocket into the Mariner net to make it 10-7, and the small cushion back in place.
That cushion wasn't removed by Narragansett over the last of the second half. It was ripped from under Middletown. The Mariners scored six unanswered goals and slammed the door in Middletown's face.
As the final horn sounded, the Islanders looked a little stunned, as they dropped a big divisional game to Gansett, 13-10.
The loss saw Narragansett leapfrog Middletown in the Division II South standings, with a (9-4) record. Middletown drops to (8-5) and also saw any chance of the No. 2 seed in their division vanish as well.
Narragansett will finish up their regular season this Friday on the road, when they visit the Portsmouth Patriots. Start time is 5:30 p.m.
The Islanders still have a shot to finish in third place on the year. If Narragansett loses to Portsmouth and the Islanders win their final game of the year, they will finish in third place, and up their chances at a better draw in the playoffs.
The Middletown Islanders Girls Lacrosse Team will wrap up their regular season, celebrating "Senior Night," on Monday, May 23, when they host Westerly on "The Turf." Start time is 6 p.m.
The Islanders need to finish strong. For momentum. For their seniors. For each other.
