[ccfic caption-text format="plaintext"]
From the looks of it, the Westwood girls lacrosse team faced what could have been a perfect storm on their run through the MIAA Girls Lacrosse South Division 1 sectionals. First, they faced a difficult test against Wellesley at home in the semifinals, then the looming specter of Needham (the Boston Globe’s No. 2-ranked team) or Hingham’s Notre Dame Academy No. 3 in the final.
Adding another wrinkle of intrigue: Notre Dame is the only team to have defeated the Wolverines on the year (and recent memory).
The Raiders, owners of a 4-seed in the South Sectionals, were themselves no pushovers. Ranked at No. 10 in the state by the Boston Globe, the Wellesley girls boasted a strong offense of their own (scoring at a clip of 13.4 goals per game) and had beaten 13-seeded North Quincy and fifth-seeded Hingham on their way to the semi-final.
The Westwood Wolverines are the consensus No. 1 girls lacrosse team in the state, a dominant powerhouse that combines prolific scoring (15.3 goals per game in the regular season) with a stingy defense (4.7 goals allowed). Between them and the finals, the challenge of the Wellesley Raiders.
It was against this backdrop that the two teams met at Flahive Field in Westwood on June 7. There would be no heroics or plot twists on the night, however. Despite a strong effort that saw the Raiders hold the Wolverines to under their seasonal goals-per-game average, the home side managed to walk away winners in a 12-7 contest. The five-goal margin of victory represented the closest game Westwood had played since they defeated #2-ranked Needham on the road by six goals in mid-May.
The Wellesley girls will graduate 11 seniors from the lacrosse program this year, and will look to bounce back next year with a younger team built for the future.
