Girls lacrosse wins anniversary game in OT: No. 1 seed headed to state tournament
The CCHS girls lacrosse team celebrated Memorial Day and its 50th anniversary with a gritty 16-15 win.
The Acton-Carlisle High School girls lacrosse team celebrated Memorial Day and its 50th anniversary with a gritty, come-from-behind 16-15 overtime win over Franklin. Scarlett Mirak buried the sudden death winner, her seventh goal, with 13.2 seconds to go in the first overtime period. The girls ended their regular season at 18-2.
With alumni from many decades in the crowd, the Patriots started slowly and were trailing 7-3 mid-second quarter. Three quick goals by Mirak and Karleigh Mutch narrowed the deficit to one, but the Panthers tallied three before the half to increase their lead to 10-6.
The Patriots came out of the break firing and netted three unanswered goals by Mirak and Teagan Morrissey. Mutch finished the period with another goal, and CC trailed 11-10 after three quarters.
The tense fourth quarter started with Mirak’s fifth goal, but Franklin ran off three straight, pushing their lead to 14-11. Undeterred, the Patriots dug deep for three straight goals off excellent draw circle play — Maya Feloney whistled a low goal, Aubrey Monaghan pocketed one, and Mirak added her sixth for a 14-14 tie. Franklin responded with one before Sarah Fortier netted her second goal on a great feed from Mirak to tie the game at 15 with 35 seconds left.
Sudden death overtime began with a Patriots possession, but tough defense by Franklin led to a turnover and a yellow card for the Patriots, leaving them down a player. After a Franklin timeout, the Patriots defense came up with an outstanding team turnover. A critical timeout by coach Erin Cash put the team in place to execute the final goal, scored by Mirak with seconds left.
The girls are seeded first in Division 1 — a program first — as they head into the playoffs.
