(April 3, 2015) The Worcester Prep girls’ lacrosse team has had a busy start to the 2015 season, with a number of games in a short period of time.
Last Friday in Salisbury, the Lady Mallards battled the Parkside Rams. After falling behind 3-0, the Prep squad fought back and won 11-7.
“Parkside got a few quick goals on us early in the first half, so Coach [Brooke] Hahn and I called a timeout to try to stop their momentum and to try to help our girls regroup,” said Prep Coach Leigh Anne Flounlacker. “Once we started taking care of the ball when we had it on the offensive side of the field we started connecting.”
At halftime, the score was tied 5-5. The visiting Mallards outscored the Rams 6-2 in the second half.
“Going into the second half, they knew we needed to control the pace of the game or Parkside, being such a strong team, would capitalize and take over, but they were up to the challenge,” Flounlacker said. “We were winning the draws, communicating more on defense, and working smart on offense.”
Senior captain Sophie Brennan tallied four goals and an assist. Molly Soulé, a senior captain, logged three goals and an assist. Flounlacker said Karlie Southcomb, a sophomore, “came up at big times with a couple solid crease rolls to the cage that we needed.”
Goalie Carolyn Dorey, a senior, stopped four Parkside shots.
The next day, the Prep team took a trip to Elkridge, Md. to compete in the Karl Wolf Tournament. The competition consisted of Worcester Prep, Reservoir, Howard and Wilde Lake high schools.
The Mallards edged out Reservoir 15-12 in the first round.
“During the first half, we were dropping passes and we had a few breakdowns on defense, which Reservoir took advantage of,” Flounlacker said. “In the second half, we started playing more as a team throughout the entire field, working together on slides and crashing in the eight when there were drives to goal. This is hopefully something we can continue to be better at day after day.”
Brennan had five goals and Leigh Lingo, a sophomore, netted four. Soulé chipped in with one goal and four assists.
Dorey made four saves in the first half. Bridget Brown, a junior, had three saves in the second half.
Worcester lost in the finals to Howard, 17-7.
“Regardless of the score, I’m really proud of the way the girls played this game,” Flounlacker said. “They showed an incredible amount of hustle until the very end and never gave up. Howard was fast and you could tell they’ve been playing together for a while with the way they transitioned the ball and it was hard to come back from their quick lead.”
Brennan netted three goals and Lingo had two. Dorey recorded five saves. Soulé was presented with the Karl Wolfe Tournament Sportsmanship Award during the post-game ceremony.
A few days later in Easton, the Mallards topped their Eastern Shore Independent Athletic Conference rival, the Saint Peter & Paul Sabres, 15-3.
The two teams battled during the first half of Tuesday’s competition and at the break, the visiting Mallards led 5-3.
“In the first half we were struggling to make clean passes and get our shots on net,” Flounlacker said.
Worcester turned up the pressure in the second half, scoring 10 unanswered goals to win 15-3.
“We regrouped, and in the second half we were able to break away and get a solid lead,” Flounlacker said. “Sophie definitely lead the pace and picked up the team’s momentum for the second half, coming up with a couple great defensive plays and burying five goals.”
Brennan finished the game with six goals and two assists. Soulé had three goals and two assists. Dorey logged eight saves.
“Coming into it, the girls knew it wasn’t going to be an easy game since Saints Peter & Paul has so much talent every year, so that may have played a part in the slow start, but I know they were excited to beat their rival by such a considerable amount,” Flounlacker said. “Overall, I’m happy we were able to make adjustments and cinch the win, but we know we have a lot to work on with some very tough games in our future with Cape, Decatur, SSPP again, who we definitely can’t take lightly regardless of [Tuesday’s] score. We’re still working on meshing as a team, but once we do that, these girls are going to be hard to stop.”
The Mallards will host the James M. Bennett Clippers on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
