GUILFORD — The stage is set. No. 3 Daniel Hand will face off against No. 1 New Fairfield in the CIAC Class M girls lacrosse championship game Sunday at Fairfield University.
New Fairfield handled Suffield 15-5 to advance to a state final for the eighth-straight year and will be looking for its seventh title in that span.
Hand defeated No. 2 Branford 16-10 Tuesday evening at Guilford High School. Junior Ellie Flynn led the Tigers with six goals.
“We’re only here because of the team effort and atmosphere that we have,” Flynn said. “At the end of the day, it’s a team effort. It’s absolutely an incredible feeling.”
After the final buzzer went off, Hand players celebrated on the turf in elation, and head coach Lindsey Caroll hugged her assistant coaches prior to the handshake line.
“I’m beyond excited and super proud of these girls,” Caroll said. “They’ve been working really hard, and they’re finally piecing everything together. I think we’re prepared for the state championship.”
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The Tigers scored the first four goals of the game, with Flynn scoring twice. Hand never relinquished its lead.
Hand continued to take control of the first half, leading 11-6 at the break. Claire Levis and Marla Lafferty made their presence known with Levis scoring a first half hat trick and Lafferty scoring two goals in the second quarter.
Branford did not go quietly, coming out strong in the second half. After Hand scored the first two goals of the third quarter, the Hornets scored four unanswered goals. Caroll called a timeout to calm her team down.
“We couldn’t break down there,” Caroll said. “We had to continue with our momentum, and don’t let the pressure break us down there.”
Hand responded with three goals in the final five minutes to seal the game. Caroll said there is more work to be done.
“We’ve got to be prepared, and we’ve got to be focused,” Caroll said. “But we’re not a team to underestimate.”
A couple hours after Hand celebrated their semifinals victory, New Fairfield did the same with a 15-5 win over Suffield. The Rebels were led by senior Brenna Romanello, who also scored six goals.
“I’m so excited; that was just a team win,” Romanello said. “We knew we had a better level of lacrosse to play, and we weren’t doing that in the first half. Once that (better level of lacrosse) came out, it showed. The last quarter was so much fun. We were all playing together. It was exciting.”
Although New Fairfield never trailed the entire game, they only led by as many as four goals through three quarters. That all changed in the fourth quarter.
The Rebels outscored Suffield 7-1 in the final quarter with Romanello scoring twice.
New Fairfield coach Greg Schwarz believed that his team was a little too eager to score at times, and it led to several unforced errors.
“We worked more harder and not smarter on the field,” Schwarz said. “The girls wanted to win so badly, that we were forcing some things, and we could have very easily had three or four more goals.”
Schwarz credited the team leaders for stepping up during adversity and said that many of his players grew up during big moments in the fourth quarter.
“When we need them to play their best, they play their best,” Schwarz said. “I’m just a proud coach. That’s really what I am.”
New Fairfield got off to a solid start in the first quarter. They held Suffield scoreless, and they scored four goals.
In the second and third quarters, the Wildcats went toe-to-toe with the Rebels, with both teams scoring two goals in each quarter.
That all changed in the fourth quarter as New Fairfield pulled away to set up a Class M final showdown against Hand.
“They were challenged this week with a big game tonight, and they responded in a way that any coach would be proud of,” Schwarz said.”
CIAC CLASS M GIRLS LACROSSE SEMIFINALS
Player of the Game
Ellie Flynn, Daniel Hand--- Flynn scored six goals for the Tigers, including the final goal of the game to seal the victory.
No. 3 Hand 16, No. 2 Branford 10
DANIEL HAND 6 5 2 3 ---- 16BRANFORD 3 3 3 1 ---- 10
Player of the game
Brenna Romanello, New Fairfield--- Romanello scored six goals for the Rebels, and displayed leadership in the final quarter to ice the game.
Quotable
“You can see it in our celebrations. We’re all each other’s best friends, and you can see it when we score. We’re hugging each other, we’re slamming our sticks, and everyone is just smiling like it’s the best feeling.” --- Brenna Romanello
No. 1 New Fairfield 15, No. 4 Suffield 5
SUFFIELD 0 2 2 1 — 5NEW FAIRFIELD 4 2 2 7 — 15