All Girls Lacrosse Teams Win Against Ridgewood

Brianna Lyons

Every athlete has a choice. Either fight till the finish, or give up and let the other team crush you like a bug. The first rule that any Darien athlete is taught, is that giving up is not an option. That is exactly the motto that the Darien Girls Lacrosse teams, freshmen- varsity, lived with while playing against Ridgewood.

For weeks the lacrosse teams prepared for one of the biggest games of the season. Hours were spent on the stadium field, going over plays and defenses, and watching the film from last season's game against Ridgewood. The only thing on any ones mind during the week, was crushing Ridgewood and demonstrating to the rest of the teams that Darien is a force to be reckoned with. We saw this thirst for winning during the three games that took place at the stadium field in Ridgewood, New Jersey.

The first team to play Ridgewood, was the freshmen team. Throughout the game we saw fluctuations in the score. Shot after shot was fired on the Ridgewood goalie. Out of the thousand that were shot, only 7 goals were not stopped by the Ridgewood Goalie. Thanks to the superb goalie skills of Cathy Hunter, the freshmen were able to keep only 6 goals from entering the net. Making the final score 7-6. Setting the tone for the rest of the Darien girls lacrosse team.

Second to play, was the JV team. Off to a strong start, the JV team made the score 3-1 in the first 20 minutes of game play. As time went on, the gap between the two teams score started to decrease until they were tied 4-4 at half time. With an inspirational speech by Amy Kniffen, the coach of JV, the JV team was able to pull ahead of Ridgewood, making the end score 7-6.

Senior Katie Ramsay jumps for a loose ball.
(Courtesy Darien Times) 

The last to play was the Varsity team. The game mirrored the JV team in the beginning. At half time, the varsity was tied with Ridgewood. Than after an inspirational quote by head coach Lisa Lindley, the varsity went on to win 12-10. Throughout the game, we noticed the unity of the Varsity team. They worked as one unit, which allowed them to win against an arch rival of the Darien team, Ridgewood. After losing to the team last year, the Varsity as able to prove once and for all that Darien does not give up.

“We played great and were very connected and aggressive.” Olivia Maniscalco, a sophomore, said concerning the performance of each team.

“I think we played really well as a team and everyone did their part.” Hallie Kreppin, a sophomore, said.

“Good defensive positioning and a bunch of forced turnovers.” Cate Droogan, a sophomore, said.

“Friggen Tubular with a side of saucy sauce.” Marley Macarthy, a freshmen, said.

With every loss, there is a chance to improve. The entire program of Darien girls lacrosse demonstrated today that Darien is here to win. We will not settle until the last whistle is blown. We may have lost against Ridgewood last year, but that did not stop the girls teams from stepping up and beating Ridgewood this year. In the end, all teams did an incredible job.