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Carrying the Ball
Peyton Saracina carries the ball for Woodstock Academy in a girls’ lacrosse match against Fitch last week at the Bentley Athletic Complex. Photo by Marc Allard.

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Lacrosse
team likely
to be in the
ECC mix
The Woodstock Academy girls’ lacrosse team proved something last week.
It will likely be in the mix when it comes time to start thinking about who qualifies for the Eastern Connecticut Conference tournament.
The Centaurs did weather a tough, 15-14, overtime loss to Fitch early last week but followed up with a 12-3 win over Norwich Free Academy April 18 at the Bentley Athletic Complex.
It raised the Centaurs record to 5-2 overall and 1-1 in Division I of the Eastern Connecticut Conference.
“That Fitch game was a tough loss,” said Woodstock Academy coach Kathleen Johnson. “What’s so great is that years ago as a lacrosse program, we were never a contender. Now, we’re contenders. Kudos to Fitch, they played a great game and came back but our season is far from over.”
The Centaurs proved that against the Wildcats.
Woodstock Academy took 22 shots at NFA goalie Lily George in the first half and while she turned away nine of them and a few more went above and around her, six did find their mark.
Although it took a little bit for that to happen.
“At the beginning of the game, we weren’t really scoring, so I really wanted to step up and get something for the team,” said senior captain Emma Ciquera.
The Centaurs took six shots without success before Ciquera began the scoring party.
Ciquera scored the first two of her six goals within 37 seconds of one another, both coming off free position calls.
“I needed the leadership (Thursday),” Johnson said of Ciquera. “We talked about that before the game that I wanted her to be a key part of the offense because we can rely on her and her experience to run the offense. I needed the ball to be in her hands whether it was to score, which she did, or also just to run the offense and keep the possession. In girls’ lacrosse, having possession is half the battle.”
The Centaurs did that well as they only allowed three shots by the Wildcats, all of those coming inside the 10-minute mark in the half.
Emma Redfield scored her only goal of the game 30 seconds after Ciquera’s second tally. Ivy Gelhaus followed up with two of her three goals within 11 seconds of one another.
The senior scored with 14:06 left in the first half, won the face off and put another into the net to make it 5-0 in favor of the Centaurs.
Ciquera completed her first half hat trick with a goal with 6:58 left before Mackenzie Shrewsbury scored a pair of goals for the Wildcats to knock the deficit down to 6-2 at the break.
The Centaurs sealed the deal early in the second half.
Ciquera scored just 21 seconds into the half, Aislin Tracey followed with a goal 10 seconds later and Woodstock Academy would add two more goals before five minutes had elapsed to take the insurmountable, 10-2, lead.
The Centaurs also must have thought they owned an insurmountable lead against the Falcons,
Woodstock Academy fought back from an early 3-2 deficit in the first half to build a 7-5 lead at the half.
Gelhaus had the first half hat trick and Redfield added a pair.
Ciquera scored a goal top open the second half and both Tracey and Gelhaus added a pair of goals each in the first 5 ½ minutes to put the Centaurs up, 12-5.
Someone forgot to tell Fitch that the game was over.
“We were winning the draw and then, we couldn’t win the draw. We couldn’t get possession, rarely had it, and that can cost you,” Johnson said.
Fitch took advantage. It scored two quick goals in the next four minutes to cut the deficit to five.
Bridget O’Leary, Zoe Pearse and Jessica Russo then all scored within the next five minutes for the Falcons to make it a two-goal game, 12-10, with 9:58 left.
The onslaught was not over. Maddie Catlett scored her first goal of the game and Rita Sefransky tied the contest with 4:41 to play. Catlett then scored again with 3:48 left to put the Falcons up, 13-12.
The Centaurs finally broke the eight-goal Fitch run when Peyton Saracina scored with 2:35 to play.
Ciquera put the Centaurs back on top, 14-13, just 19 seconds later but Catlett tied the game with 1:19 to play and forced the overtime.
Catlett scored the game winner 46 seconds into the extra period.
The game with Montville set for April 20 was moved to May 15 due to the weather.
girls were scheduled to play a game on Saturday but inclement weather pushed the match
Boys’ Lacrosse
The Centaurs boys’ team had only one game during the spring break week.
The Centaurs lost to Waterford, 18-5, on a chilly Thursday.
Guerin Favreau scored four of the goals for the Centaurs (3-3, 0-2 Eastern Connecticut Conference Division I).
Seth Libby scored the other goal while Gabe Geyer had an assist.
The Centaurs boys, like the girls, were supposed to play April 20 but their game with the Rockville-Stafford cooperative was rained out and rescheduled to May 8.
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director
The Woodstock Academy