BROOKFIELD — Tuesday night saw redemption for top-seeded Simsbury girls lacrosse, as they advanced to the Class L state tournament final for the second straight season with a 7-5 semifinals victory over No. 4 Masuk at Brookfield High School.
"We knew Masuk was going to come in ready to go, and every time we've played them it's been tough," Simsbury head coach Rick Bontatibus said. "It was just one of those emotional games where didn't know how everything was going to pan out at the end because it's back and forth. But certainly we're excited to go back (to the final)."
Masuk and Simsbury battled in last year's Class L final, where the Panthers captured their first state championship in a 10-7 victory over the Trojans.
On Tuesday, Simsbury's strong defensive effort and consistent offensive play ended Masuk's season, beating the Panthers for the second time this season (10-5 regular-season win April 26).
More For You
"It feels good to get revenge on them, not once, but twice," said Simsbury sophomore midfielder Charlotte Diviney, who scored three goals. "Hopefully, we're going for the win this year in the state championship."
Diviney started her hat trick, and opened the scoring, with a goal with 8:59 left in the first quarter to gain an early advantage.
"My teammates are just setting me up," Diviney said. "They're always supporting me. It's so easy to score when everybody is just helping me. Everyone's getting you the ball, everyone's moving it around, and it's just credit to them."
Masuk's first goal came from junior Bailey Bajda exactly a minute later, tying the game at 1-1 with 7:59 left in the first.
Trojans junior Anna Stockwall scored with 1:31 for a 2-1 lead heading into the second quarter.
After Masuk junior Emma Troesser tied the score at 2-2 early in the second quarter (11:12 left), Simsbury junior Madeline Francis answered back with a goal with 4:39 left to regain the lead, 3-2.
The Panthers answered back with a score from Bajda, her second of the game, with 2:19 left before the half to tie the game at 3-3.
But with 20 seconds left, sophomore Jamison Hallam scored and Simsbury took a 4-3 lead into the half.
The Trojans wasted no time extending their advantage, as Diviney scored her second goal of the game with 10:22 left in the third quarter.
Senior Alex Loo added another goal with 2:27 left in the third, and Simsbury led, 6-3.
Relentless defensive pressure from the Trojans kept Masuk scoreless in the third quarter.
"This year, we've been experimenting with different types of defenses, but today we played really aggressive man and I think our one-on-one defense is just phenomenal," senior defender Charlie Reitz said. "But we also are really good at sliding and working together as a unit, and we're just a really tight group, and that helps."
Masuk senior Devon Kreiner scored with 9:17 left, cutting the lead to 6-4. However, Simsbury answered within seconds as Diviney scored her third goal with 9:01 left to re-extend the three-goal lead, 7-4.
Junior Abby Troesser scored the final goal of the game for the Panthers with 6:25 left, making it 7-5, but with strong defense and successful clock management, the Trojans held on for the win.
Simsbury will face No. 2 Cheshire in the Class L final Sunday at Fairfield University's Rafferty Stadium at a time to be announced. The Rams made it to the final after a first-round bye, a 12-8 quarterfinal victory over No. 7 Fairfield Warde, and a close 14-11 semifinals win over No. 3 Amity.
"They're a tough team," Bontatibus said. "We're going to have to figure out how we're going to stop them and scheme up for that. But I'm expecting a really tough game."
After a first-round bye, the Trojans breezed past No. 9 Farmington in the quarterfinals, 18-1, to advance to the semifinals. The Panthers bested No. 13 Bristol Eastern in the first round, 15-2, and advanced past No. 5 Newtown in the quarterfinals, 16-7.
Player of the game
Charlotte Diviney, Simsbury: The sophomore midfielder produced a hat trick, one coming within the first four minutes of the game, and the other two in the second half, to lead the offense and send the Trojans to the Class L final.
Quotable
"We knew Masuk was going to come in ready to go, and every time we've played them it's been tough. It was just one of those emotional games where didn't know how everything was going to pan out at the end because it's back and forth. But, certainly we're excited to go back." — Simsbury head coach Rick Bontatibus.
CIAC CLASS L GIRLS LACROSSE SEMIFINALS
No. 1 Simsbury 7, No. 4 Masuk 5
Masuk 1 2 0 2 — 5Simsbury 2 2 2 1 — 7
Masuk: Bailey Bajda 2g; Emma Troesser 1g; Devon Kreiner 1g; Abby Troesser 1g; Charlotte Pinto 1a; Eve Fernandez 1a.
Simsbury: Charlotte Diviney 3g; Alex Loo 1g; Maddie Francis 1g; Anna Stockwall 1g; Jamison Hallam 1g.
Saves: M — Madison Farrer 11, S — Delaney Soucie 8.
Records: M (16-5); S (17-3).