Girls' Junior Varsity Lacrosse: Archives

Taft finished the season with a hard-fought tie against Hopkins on Wednesday.  Our scoring was spread out among Maddie Haight, Izzy Stack, Dana Biddle, Laura Feidelson, Issy Tabah, and Madison Haskins.  Karlea Peterson had one her best games of the season, making some particularly great cuts through the midfield.  Sophie Snook provided steady leadership all over the field, and Natalie Kapp and Kaela Gilbert, recently returned from injuries and illness, completed the offense.  Senior, Clair Beltran, ended a distinguished four year career in the lacrosse program.  She played tight defense all over the field, particularly off the crease.  Colleen Iannone, Maddie Olmstead, Sami Albert, and Maggie Blatz (in goal) also played key roles in defending Hopkins' offfensive efforts.  It was a fine team effort.

Taft was able to captialize on their hard work over the past two weeks, earning a big win against an aggressive Litchfield Club team.  The game was tight throughout the first half as Taft worked to gain confidence in a pretty rough and tumble contest.  Draw control was a veritable scrum, but the Rhinos worked hard both in the air and off the ground to gain possession of the ball.  Taft's defense was tough, and the offensive transitions were some of the best of the season with some pretty midfield connections.  Offensively, Taft had to work hard against a good Litchfield goalie and saw some nice goals both off of fast breaks and settled attack.  Sophie Snook and Laura Feidelson were quite the dynamic duo in 2v1 scoring situations, each setting the other up several times throughout the game.  Other offensive contributors were Maddie Haight, Dana Biddle, Issy Tabah, and Kaela Gilbert.  Our defense was lead by Maddie Olmstead and Maggie Blatz in goal.  Special thanks to Kayla Romano-Pringle, Mia Polokov, and Adeline Ewing - all players from the 3rds team who also played in yesterday's game. 

Taft's goal on Wednesday was to play with poise.  The team did many things well - they responded to Choate's midfield pressure by using trail passes and changing fields, they possesed the ball for longer periods of time in our settled offense, and they worked to turn the ball over on Choate's offensive transition.  Unfortunately, some of the basics in terms of skills continued to challenge the Rhinos.  They struggled to pass and catch, especially under pressure, and draw control continued to elude them.  Scoring was difficult, but Maddie Haight, Sophie Snook, Natalie Kapp, and Laura Feidelson each found the back of the net at least once.  Defensively, Issy Tabah anchored the team with support from Maddie Olmstead, Colleen Iannone, Clair Beltran, and goalie, Maggie Blatz.

Taft faced a skilled CSH team on Saturday.  The Rhinos struggled to get and maintain possession throughout the game and consequently found themselves on the defensive side of the game for much of the contest.  True to character, however, this team didn't give up, and though the deck was stacked against them, they did find a little momentum towards the end of the game, scoring four goals off of our settled offense.  Karlea Peterson started things off for Taft, and Laura Feidelson, Madison Haskins, and Issy Tabah followed suit.  Colleen Iannone came off a minor illness to support Maddie Olmstead, Sami Albert, and Claire Beltran on the defensive side of things.  

Taft played a great game against Kent today.  They took the field ready to play hard, and they dominated play all over the field.  The Rhinos won two-thirds of the draws, the majority of ground balls, and played tight, goal-side defense all over the field.  However, between Kent's slow-paced offense and some missed chances, Taft found themselves tied with Kent, 3-3, at halftime.  Though we wanted to continue to play much the same in the second half, the team needed to capitalize better on their scoring opportunities.  Taft took the field and scored ten unanswered goals.  They continued to win draws and scored off of fast breaks as well as some well-executed set plays.  Goals were scored by Maddie Haight, Dana Biddle, Issy Stack, Sophie Snook, Laura Feidelson, and Issy Tabah.  Colleen Iannone had her best game of the season contributing some very fine offense as well as her usual reliable defense.  Maddie Olmstead, Sami Albert, and Claire Beltran played patient defense and helped Maggie Blatz hold Kent to six goals. 

There is not much to say about Taft's game against a very skilled GA team yesterday.  The girls played hard to the end, but really couldn't get anything going.  Goals were scored by Madison Haskins, Issy Stack, Maddie Haight, and Issy Tabah.  Colleen Iannone had her best game yet on defense, but ultimately GA proved too much.  

It was just not Taft's day up in Simsbury yesterday.  In the early minutes, the Rhinos could not get and/or keep the ball in their sticks, and an athletic Westminster team went up early by a good margin and never looked back.  After some adjustments on the center circle, Taft was finally able to start winning some draws (largely thanks to the agressive play of Sophie Snook and Madison Haskins), and get on the board.  Despite a cold deluge throughout much of the middle of the game, Taft chipped away at Westminster's lead with some fantastic defense from Maddie Olmstead as well as a few beautiful midfield transitions.  Unfortunately, the gap was just too great.  Goals were scored by Issy Stack, Sophie Snook, Issy Tabah, and Natalie Kapp.

Taft won a barn burner against a much improved MPS team on Tuesday.  The scoring was back and forth the whole game with the final, winning goal coming with just minutes to go in the second half.  Taft's defense was very strong, and Maggie Blatz had another very good day in goal.  Not only did she make some key saves in such a close game, but she cleared the ball with confidence and accuracy, allowing for some very nice passing sequences in our offensive transition.  Goals were evenly distributed among the attack players.  Laura Feidelson, Issy Stack (in her much awaited return from illness), Sophie Snook, Dana Biddle, Kaela Gilbert, and Issy Tabah all found the back of the net at least once.  

Taft played in another close contest on Saturday against Deerfield.  Though outmatched in numbers by nearly two to one, the small, but mighty Taft team dug in and competed until the very end.  Deerfield jumped out to an early four goal lead as Taft struggled to shake off the sluggishness that comes with a one hour and 45 minute bus ride.  As the Rhinos began to focus and play hard, the scoring became more back and forth.  Taft slowly chipped away and ultimately found themselves within one in the final minutes of the game  Unfortunately, Deerfield went into a stall, and again Taft found themselves lacking possession when it really counted.  They were unable to get the ball as the clock ticked down while Deerfield scored one last time to ensure their victory.  The offensive efforts were led by Laura Feidelson and Dana Biddle, with Issy Stack and Sophie Snook each contributing a goal as well.  Madision Haskins continued to dominate the defense flanked by Maddie Olmstead, Claire Beltran, and Sami Albert.  Maggie Blatz had a season high nine saves, which undoubtedly kept Taft in the game.  

Taft had a great battle with Loomis on Wednesday.  They were two evenly matched teams, and the outcome came down to the final minutes of the game.  The scoring was back and forth for much of the first half with the score tied at 6 apiece at half time.  Loomis came out strong in the second half and took a comfortable four goal lead.  Loomis then began to stall in an attempt to prevent Taft from having any more scoring opportunities.  However, Taft was not going to give up, and the defense fought hard to regain possession on several occasions as the clock ticked down.  The Rhinos were able to close the gap to 10-8 before time ran out.  Goals were scored by Laura Feidelson, Dana Biddle, Sophie Snook, and Issy Tabah.  Maggie Blatz had a banner day in goal, making seven saves as well as a number of key clears into our offensive transition.  Claire Beltran, Sami Albert, and Madison Haskins continued to be anchors of the defense, supported by Maddie Olmstead, Colleen Iannone, and Natalie Kapp.  It was a great effort by all and an exciting measure of the improvement the team has made over the first few weeks of the season.  

Taft's game against Ethel Walker started off on the sloppy side with lots of unforced turnovers and difficulties controling the draws and ground balls.  Ethel Walker also pressured our settled offense in an unfamiliar way, and Taft had a hard time making the necessary adjustments.  Finally, however, the team began to pass and catch better through the midfield and to challenge past the overly agressive defense, ultimately winning the game by a comfortable margin.  Goals were scored by Laura Feidelson, Dana Biddle, Sophie Snook, Kaela Gilbert, Issy Tabah, Natalie Kapp, and Maddie Olmstead.  Maggie Blatz provided a steady presence in the cage for the defensive efforts of Colleen Iannone, Madison Haskins, and Claire Beltran.  

The girls' JV lacrosse team won their season opener against Kingswood Oxford 10-8.  The team traveled up to West Hartford on a Thursday excited to put their hard work in practice over the past 10 days into action.  KO was a strong squad, and they dominated draw and ground ball possession for the first half.  Nevertheless, Taft played tough and stayed in the game.  The Rhinos began to pull away in the second half, and though KO went on a late run, Taft hung on to emerge with a great first victory.  Goals were scored by Laura Feidelson, Issy Stack, Sophie Snook, Dana Biddle, Kaela Gilbert, and Maddie Haight.  Maggie Blatz had a fine debut in the cage backed up by defenders, Maddie Haskins, Issy Tabah, and Claire Beltran. 

We finished our fantastic season with a rare lacrosse shutout!  As usual, we had a wide variety of goal scorers but our leaders were Ali Tucci with three and Rachel Muskin with 4.  Issy Tabah added two more and Claire Allen and Annelies Van Breen added one apiece.  Some of the scoring highlights include Ali Tucci running a new play but the ball was checked out of her stick.  However, she re-acted very quickly and was able to pick up the ground ball and take a quick shot.  We scored another great goal off a ground ball when Colleen Marcik recovered the ball on the ground, looked up and quickly saw Ali on the right.  She made a quick pass over the Ali who got the goal.  Finally the best game of the goal was the two Issys!  Issy Stack had the ball behind the net and Issy Tabah cut in a received a pass from Issy Stack and she took a quick stick shot. 

Lynndy Smith played in goal for us in the first half and recorded a shutout for the half.  Katharine Gahagan played very well on the field for the first half but returned to the net in the second half and she maintained the shutout.  They each made 4 saves.  As usual on defense down low was Clair Beltran, Gwen McGee and Emma Stein who are some of the toughest and smartest defenders around.  Our midfield defenders included Georgia Bermingham who never lets a ground ball go unchallenged, Kelly Gaston who plays with tremendous intensity and Issy Tabah who is very effective but not flashy.  Margot Daiber, Colleen Marcik and Cassidy Lowther were all on attack and worked so hard throughout the game cutting for the ball and making plays happen. 

This was a truly amazing team.  We dealt with horrible weather, many, many injuries, including ones that were season ending, and we shared players with the thirds team all season.  Despite all these hurdles we had one of the best JV lacrosse seasons in a while.  But not only was this a skilled team on the field, we all supported each other and enjoyed being with each other every day.   This season will be remembered for years to come but this team will be sorely missed.  

For a second game in a row we lost in a score of 8-9, this time to Hotchkiss.  It was a very strange game and in part because we only had two assisted goals and the rest were either free positions or goals that were run in.  As has been the case in other games, we had trouble generating an offense and taking good shots.  Our defense was strong and Katharine had her best game of the season with a record 16 saves!  She had many that were great but she had one in particular when we were winning 8-6.  We had been up 8-5 and that save kept us in the lead for a while longer.  Unfortunately we lost it, but it slowed the Hotchkiss momentum. 

Hotchkiss took the lead early scoring within the first 30 seconds of the game.  They went up 2-0 quickly.  We tied it up and took the lead 3-2 about halfway through the first half.  Hotchkiss scored the next two goals and were up 4-3.  Goal number four was reminiscent of Cassidy and Colleens’ goal of Saturday.  This time Rachel Muskin had the ball in the midfield on a free position and she chucked the ball 25 yards to Colleen who was not in the best position at that point to shoot.  In the meantime, Annelies has sprinted down field on the opposite side and was wide-open heading to the net.  Colleen hit her on the run and Annelies took a quick shot to tie the game with 7 seconds left in the first half. 

We scored quickly in the first half when Issy Stack had a free position but Hotchkiss tied it back up shortly after.  It was now 5-5.  We then went onto to score 3 unanswered goals to take the lead 8-5.  Rachel Muskin scored two of those goals and Cassidy Lowther scored the third.  However, with 10 minutes left we fell apart and allowed Hotchkiss to score 4 unanswered goals to give them the lead with 3 minutes left.  There was plenty of time, but we struggled to get possession back and when we did we were not successful at getting a shot off.  We worked very hard but just not well enough. 

Taft goals: Ali Tucci (1), Annelies Van Breen (1), Cassidy Lowther (2), Rachel Muskin (4)

Taft Assists: Ali Tucci (1), Colleen Marcik (1)

We lost a very close game to Sacred Heart; however, we did win the second half.  In fact, if we had just had a few more minutes we could have taken the lead.  We played much better in the second half and the momentum was going our way.  The first half did not go all that well.  We turned the ball over often and did not take good shots.  Claire Allen scored first on a shovel shot, which proved to be a good shot to take on a very good left handed goalie.  We ended the first half down 2-5. 

We came out in the second half fired up to play.  Annelies Van Breen stepped up her game big time and had perhaps her best game of the season.  She won the numerous times and controlled the ball in the midfield; she was a real leader on the field.  Issy Tabah moved to offense to take advantage of her left hand when shooting against their lefty goalie.  She scored goal number 4 which brought us closer to taking the lead.  With just a few minutes left we called a timeout and came up with a plan to take the lead.  Right off the draw, Rachel Muskin put the plan into effect, won the draw and scored to bring us within two.  Goal number 8 was one of the most exciting that I have seen.  Cassidy Lowther had the ball in the midfield after she was fouled.  Colleen Marcik had cut low and was wide open very close to the net.  Cassidy chucked the ball over the heads of the defense; the ball hit the ground and took a bounce.  Colleen picked up the ball off the bounce and took a great shot to bring us within 1.  Colleen and Cassidy both had two goals each in the game and Colleen used her shooting skills well as the CSH goalie was very good.  Cassidy played her heart out and this was perhaps her best game.  However, we could not gain possession off the next draw and there were just seconds left on the clock.  A disappointing loss but a great game nonetheless especially considering we lost Laura Feidelson early in the game with an injury, not to mention the three other players on the bench with injuries. 

Kelly Gaston, Georgia Bermingham, Emma Stein, Gwen McGee and Clair Beltran were fantastic on defense.  Kelly and Georgia were super speedy in the midfield and Emma, Clair and Gwen were aggressive and turned the ball over numerous times.  Emma led the defense as usual and was all over every ground ball.  She also had a shot on goal and almost scored. 

Ali Tucci and Annelies lead our offense.  Ali played consistently well throughout the game. This was a game where absolutely everyone on the field gave it their all and we played like a team.  We are excited to take on Hotchkiss at home on Monday. 

Scoring Summary

Taft goals: Claire Allen (1), Annelies Van Breen (1), Cassidy Lowther (2), Rachel Muskin (1), Issy Tabah (1), Colleen Marcik (2)

Taft saves: Lynndy Smith (6)

We played a great game today after our disappointing loss to GA last week as we beat Kent 14-2.  We came out strong and scored right away.  Rachel Muskin was a real playmaker and she set up the first goal when Issy Stack made a great cut right to left across the goal.  Annelies Van Breen also had a huge impact on the game today with three assists and two goals.  She also pressured her girl on a goalie clear and was able to turnover the ball which she then converted to a goal.  We scored quite a few goals of quick stick passes from behind the net and Annelies scored off a set play in the second half.  Claire Allen had her best game of the season in the challenging defensive wing position.  She had an interception in the second half and a fantastic quick stick goal with the assist going to Colleen Marci. 

Our midfield transition was great today and Margot Daiber, who had her best game with three goals, was outstanding in her midfield cuts.  Gwen McGee started the game as our center and won the draw repeatedly and hustled all over the field.   Katharine Gahagan played on the field today instead of in goal and played amazingly well.  She and Rachel doubled the ball in the midfield and forced a turnover and she was quick and aggressive with the ball.  Kasey Pietro returned to the field after a long illness and made great cuts, passes and catches.  But she twisted her ankle badly in the second half and had to leave the game.  Lynndy Smith played in goal for us today and made nine crucial saves. 

Scoring summary

Taft goals: Issy Stack (3), Laura Feidelson, (2), Claire Allen (1), Margot Daiber (3), Annelies Van Breen (2), Rachel Muskin (3)

Assists: Colleen Marcik (1), Issy Stack (2), Annelies Van Breen (3), Rachel Muskin (2)

Saves: Lynndy Smith (9)

While the team was fired up and ready to play GA today, we could not find our rhythm and we struggled with the basics of catching and throwing.  We did manage to score 10 very good goals and we had GA within two when the game was 7-9 at the beginning of the second half.  But GA managed to pull away in the second half.  We continued to battle including scoring two great goals with less than two minutes to go.  Cassidy Lowther scored the first of the two when Margot Daiber came back into the game when Issy Stack left the game with an injury.  Margot had the ball to start the play and she found Cassidy in the midfield and she carried the ball straight to the goal and scored.  Cassidy also scored the goal right before that under pressure and managed to score while being double-teamed. 

Rachel Muskin and issy Stack connected a couple of times as Rachel assisted two of Issy’s goals.  Gwen McGee was outstanding on defense down low.  We had real difficulty staying on our girls in the midfield and quite a few times open players came straight at the goal ad Gwen was able to pull off and force them outside.  Issy Tabah also played a consistent game of defense both down low and in the midfield; her girl never seemed to be a real threat on the goal.  Emma Stein as usually fought her hardest to keep GA from scoring today.  Sarah Lindenberg worked hard and played through the pain of her hip injury today and helped control our midfield game.  Claire Allen had her first goal of the season and her game has really developed and is a solid midfield player who contributes to both offense and defense. 

We look forward to Kent next week. 

Scoring summary

Taft Goals: Rachel Muskin (2), Issy Stack (2), Claire Allen (1), Sarah Lindenberg (1), Cassidy Lowther (2), Annalies Van Breen (1) and Ali Tucci (1)

Taft Saves: Katharine Gahagan (7)

Taft 10 Westminster 9

This was the most exciting game of our season and a well-deserved victory.  The game got off to a quick start with Taft winning the draw as Emma Stein grabbed the ground ball and passed off to Rachel Muskin who took it down field quickly and went straight to goal.  However, Westminster answered back and the game was tied at 1 apiece.  Westminster had a number of attempts at the goal but Lynndy Smith was incredible in goal and made a series of huge saves.  Sarah Lindenberg had the only other goal of the half off a free position shot.  The first half proved to be very strange with the whistle blowing constantly and three yellow cards were given out.  Taft earned one and had to play a man down for three minutes and Westminster had one in the first and one in the second.  Neither team could get a rhythm going and each team continued to turn the ball over.  At the half time we decided to put the first half out of our mind and focus on playing our game.  We went into the second half down 3-2. 

Ali Tucci scored the first goal of the half and Laura Feidelson scored the second goal after winning the draw.  It was a bit back and forth after that but we finally found our grove when Ali Tucci made a quick stick pass to Laura who scored the go ahead goal.  We then went onto to score 4 unanswered goals and now had a sizable lead.  However, Westminster would not be deterred and they controlled possession of the ball for the last 8 minutes of the half and got within one.  We had possession of the ball off the draw with less than 30 seconds on the clock.  However, Westminster had a perfect check and turned the ball over and ran it down for the tying goal.  We had 23 seconds on the clock.  Sophie Snook won the draw taken by Rachel Muskin and ran it down field.  Under huge pressure from the Westy defense she was able to find Ali Tucci for the pass.  Ali was tripled teamed but that enable Rachel Muskin to sneak in behind and was wide open in front of the net.  Ali threated the needle through the onslaught of the Westy defense and hit Rachel who did not have the best angle for a shot.  Rachel spun left and switched to her left hand and scored the game winner with her non-dominant hand with 4 seconds left on the clock.

Our defense of Gwen McGee, Issy Tabah, Laura Feidelson, Georgia Berminham and, led by captain Emma Stein, played out of their minds today.  And Lynndy in goal was tremendous as this was her first real test as a lacrosse goalie and she passed with flying colors.  Everyone on attack contributed to this win today but I did want to mention the assist that Annelies had on Colleen’s goal as the two of them were perfectly in sync.  Ali Tucci was incredible and she gave absolutely everything she had today and was a significant factor in our win.  Not only did she have incredible goals, she had the game winning assist and she doubled the ball on defense all over the field. 

Scoring Summary: Colleen Marcik (1), Ali Tucci (2), Rachel Muskin (4), Laura Feidelson (2), Sarah Lindenberg (1)

Taft 12

Miss Porter’s 4

After playing in rain and chilly temperatures we finally had a beautiful sunny and hot day to play.  We were missing our goalie, Katherine Gahagan, but Issy Stack and Colleen Marcik volunteered to step into the goal and they did an amazing job.  They both also had great games on the field and scored a total of 3 goals between the two.  While we did dominate the game, Miss Porter’s challenged us and kept the pressure on throughout the game.  Other highlights of the game include Annelies' lost possession of the ball in the midfield and was beat, but she hustled down to the ball and forced a turnover to regain possession.  Emma Stein also forced a turnover when she checked a Miss Porter’s attack low on the field and won the ground ball.  She passed off too Margot who took the ball down for one of her two goals.  Kelley Gaston also had a turnover, which has now become a regular occurrence for her.  Gwen McGee left low defense and played a great game on attack in the second including scoring a blistering goal!  One of the best goals of the came was when Annelies behind the goal made a perfect pass to Laura Feidelson who quick sticked it in.  Clair Beltran also never gave up on defense and had a check and turnover with just 30 second left on the clock.  Everyone worked very hard in this game despite the heat and had a well-earned win. 

Taft Scoring: Colleen Marcik (1), Ali Tucci (1), Margot Daiber (2), Kasey Pietro (1), Annelies Van Breen (1), Rachel Muskin (1), Laura Feidelson (2), Gwen McGee (1), Issy Stack (2)

Taft Saves: Issy Stack (3) and Colleen Marcik (6)

Taft goals: Annelies Van Breen (3), Kasey Pietro (1), Ali Tucci (1), Story Viebranz (1)

The game began well as Taft’s Annelies Van Breen scored first within the first minute of the game.  A minute later Deerfield answered back.  We won the first few draws and the game was evenly played and it was tied a 4 goals apiece halfway through the first half.  Then three players at once had to come off the field to fix illegal mouth guards and in the confusion Deerfield was able to take the lead.  We re-grouped quickly with quick reactions by Katherine Jack, Tess Kneisel and Claire Allen.  However, we had lost our momentum and struggled to get it back.  We did play effective settled defense but struggled when Deerfield challenged us 1 v. 1. 

Individually our defense played well.  Sara Bermingham fought hard for every ground ball and draw control and was successful more times than not. Jackie Michnoff was a leader of the defense and did her best to keep the defense unified.  Emma Stein and Clair Beltran really turned in on in the second half especially and effectively transitioned the ball to the attack.  Kate Standish faced some tough shots from Deerfield but made quite a few really key saves and did her best to keep us in the game.  Katherine Gahagan who normally plays in the goal, played with the defense today and worked hard to be effective on defense.  Ali Tucci and Kasey Pietro had to work hard to get the ball in the midfield as Deerfield put a lot of pressure on us.  On her birthday, Lauren Bly once again show how versatile she is by starting out playing low attack making good cuts for the transition and then moving to low defense where she kept the Deerfield attack from making good cuts.  Story Viebranz was effective off the draw but struggled unusually with scoring as she was under the weather for the game. 

We are excited to play Miss Porter’s at home on Monday at 4:30!

Taft 7

Loomis 10

Taft goals: Rachel Muskin (3), Ali Tucci (2), Issy Stack (2)

Taft saves: Katherine Gahagan (5)

Despite the loss this was a great and very exciting game.  Loomis got on the board very quickly with a goal off the first draw.  However, Taft answered right back with a goal a few minutes later.  We took the lead for part of the first half but then lost the lead going into the second.  We were within 2 with 5 minutes left in the game.  Loomis was able to control possession so we did not get many shooting opportunities at the end.  Loomis was only able to score their last goal because we were pressuring the ball in the attempt to get it back. 

Katherine Gahagan had an outstanding game on defense and had 5 huge saves.  Loomis had quite a few goal scorers on their team but Katherine held her ground.  Emma Stein was rock solid on defense and had one play in particular that was outstanding.  Loomis was awarded the ball over the restraining line as Taft had violated the restraining line rule.  That meant most of our defenders were now behind the ball.  Emma managed to pick up the open Loomis player who was coming full speed down the field and she checked the ball right out of her stick. 

Our best goal was number 6 when Annelies drew the defense and Issy Stack cut into the arc and was wide open for Annelies’ pass. 

Loomis was very fast and we had a hard time matching their speed.  However, Kelley Gaston and Georgia Bermingham successfully contained their two girls.  Loomis passed the ball very quickly and could transition the ball well and they were very aggressive on offense.  We played very strong settled defense but our midfield game was not as tight as it has been and we were hesitant on attack.  As a result we did not always take smart shots.  Had we been a bit more focused on attack we could have won the game.  Nonetheless we really rose to the challenge that this outstanding Loomis team presented to us.  We look forward to Deerfield at home on Saturday.  

Because of the rain during the game our scorebook got very wet and thus the stats are not totally accurate.  Taft did defeat Ethel Walker 12-1.  When the game began it had not started to rain and Taft quickly dominated the game Colleen Marcik scored first within the first minute of a game.  As a goalie in her two other sports, Colleen understands the skill of perfectly placing her shot and she did jut that on each of her goals in this game.  Our second goal game less than a minute later when Sarah Lindenberg got Margot Daiber a pass right into the sweet spot that enabled Margot to easily find the back of the net.  Our third goal came when Rachel Muskin won the draw and took it down for a quick shot and goal.  Another really nice goal was #7 when Cassidy Lowther found Ali Tucci in front of the net.  In the second half, Issy Tabah who is left-handed took a great shot and scored with her right hand. 

We had to play in very difficult conditions but everyone tried their best.  Claire Allen had a great inception and Kelley Gaston forced a number of turnovers.  Georgia Bermingham was effective in the midfield at slowing down Ethel Walker and she also jumped in a played low defense for the first time.  Sarah Lindenberg and Laura Feidelson were both back in fine form after recouping from injuries.  They are both very quick and have excellent stick skills.  Clair Beltran was solid as a rock as usual on low defense and Katherine Gahagan was able to make a nice contribution to the game as field player since we were very lucky to have Lynndy Smith in goal today.  While Lynddy did not see much action, it is clear that she has picked up the sport very quickly and I am sure she will help us out greatly in future games. 

Special thanks to our managers Jordan Stone and Frankie Benavides who helped us out in the rain.  Also a huge thanks to the Lindenbergs for the much-needed donuts and hot chocolate! 

We are up for a challenge when we take on Loomis away on Wednesday.  

View this game's photo gallery

Taft 15

Berkshire 4

Taft Goals: Sophie Snook (1), Ali Tucci (3), Annelies Van Breen (1), Kasey Pietro (3), Rachel Muskin (2), Cassidy Lowther (1), Issy Tabah (1), Claire Allen (1), Margot Daiber (2)

Taft Saves: Katherine Gahagan (4)

Taft played an outstanding game today up at Berkshire on a cold and damp spring day.  As you can see from the scoring summary, 9 different girls from Taft scored today which is a testament to the strength of our offense.  However, Berkshire only scored 4 times which is clearly a testament to our defense.  In practice, we have not been successful with quick stick shots but we have been practicing them to get better and it paid off today as we had two beautiful quick stick goals.  The first came when Mimi Dobelle gave Kasey Pietro a perfectly placed pass which enabled Kasey to score on the quick stick and then Cassidy Lowther also gave Ali Tucci a well placed pass for our second quick stick goal of the game.  We got on the board within the first 30 seconds of the game as Sophie quickly and easily found the back of the net and then in rapid succession Kasey, Rachel and Ali scored.  Annelies earned goal number 5 when after her first shot was saved she quickly picked up the rebound on the ground and shot again, Annelies would not be deterred.

We just elected captains and Ali Tucci, Emma Stein and Annelies all showed excellent leadership abilities today.  Ali led the attack and helped set up some of our very successful plays that we just learned this week. Emma anchored our defense and Annelies played with tremendous enthusiasm throughout the entire game.  Margot Daiber had an excellent game that including scoring and making very effective cuts.  Mimi Dobelle also played very well and had a number of great ground balls and she had the assist on Kasey’s quick stick goal.  Gwen McGee and Issy Stack both stepped up to play in the center of the field, which is the most challenging position.  One of the best goals of the game was Issy Tabah’s.  As a lefty she is a bit tricky so she faked right and shot left and it was a perfect set-up as the goalie was also a leftie. 

Other great plays included Kelley Gaston’s interception when she came out of nowhere to steal a pass from Berkshire and Gwen McGee’s perfectly executed check and ground ball pick-up.  We also did a fantastic job of double teaming the ball in the midfield.  Claire Allen has also improved significantly and is playing with real confidence.  Overall it was an outstanding team effort.  

Taft 13

K-O 5

Taft goals: Rachel Muskin (7), Ali Tucci (3), Issy Stack (2)

Taft saves: Katherine Gahagan (6)

The Taft girl’s JV got off to a great start with a great win over Kingswood.  The first goal came from lower-mid Rachel Muskin who with 7 goals had a fantastic game.  She played center and was effective on defense and on offense.  The team passed very well and played incredibly effective settled defense.  Katherine did not face many shots because of the defense, but she did make 6 saves including an awesome save where she had to lunge to the right with one-minute left on the clock.  Ali Tucci was also a huge contributor to the team.  She scored three beautiful goals and was a leader on the field.  Our ninth graders were a highlight of the game.  Gwen McGee, Issy Tabah, Issy Stack all had outstanding games and really anchored our defense.  We also had excellent leadership on defense with our veterans Clair Beltran and Emma Stein.  Our veteran attackers, Annalies Van Breen and Casey Pietro were consistent and dependable throughout the game.  And brand new to the game were Georgia Bermingham and Kelley Gaston who are picking up the game very quickly.  Everyone on the team contributed to our win today and we are excited about how well we have started our season.  

What a way to finish the season!  Taft JV girls saved the best game last.  Two evenly matched teams, the play was back and forth. Despite Taft being focused, fired up, and determined, Hopkins was able to capitalize first.  For most of the game, Taft was playing catch up.  Hopkins would score two goals in a row, Taft would score one, Hopkins would answer right back.  Taft was able to persevere.  No one ever stopped working or believing that the team could do it.  It was a TEAM victory.  Emma Stein, as she has been all season, was rock solid on defense, denying Hopkins’ attacker after attacker a shot on the goal.  Kasey Pietro and Story Viebranz were a throne in the side of the Hopkins’ goalie, both scoring four goals apiece.  Kasey’s confidence going to goal and Story’s poise in the attack were assets in Taft’s victory.  Meredith Barrow and Claire Allen both contributed to the success of Taft’s settled attack.   Despite the rhino’s efforts and four excellent saves by Kate Standish in net, Hopkins was leading 8-6 at halftime. 

Taft’s team refocused and again went out to start the second half with confidence and a desire to make it the best half of lacrosse yet.  Again, it was Hopkins that scored three unanswered goals making it 11-7.  Slowly, Taft began to chip away, never panicking.  Annelies van Breen, whose accurate shot has helped the rhinos all season, came up big with a beautiful goal to close the gap to 11-8.  As important as it was for Taft to continue the pressure on attack, it was even more important to continue to dominate the defensive zone.  Clair Beltran came up big with two interceptions and four ground balls!  Both Lauren Bly and Erin McHugh were true team players, playing low attack and low defense.  McHugh and Bly’s presence on and off the field inspired and encouraged their teammates that Taft is the better team.  The gap crept closer.  Jackie Michnoff was asked to step out of her comfort zone and play a position that she hadn’t been playing all year.  She rose to the occasion, and showed the team what smart lacrosse looked like.  She was able to control the draws, play tough defense, and she was a threat on offense.  Sara Bermingham was invaluable in the midfield, snagging eleven groundballs!  Bermingham forced turnovers and created offensive opportunities that contributed to the success of the team today.  With thirty-two seconds left in the game, the game tied, junior captain, Alexandra Tweedley pulled through big time.  She skillfully dodged two girls before she was able to find the back of the net with the game winner.  However, there was one more draw and Taft needed to come up with the ball.  Hopkins won the draw and was able to get a great shot off.  Katharine Gahagan was able to step to the ball and snag the ball heading directly for the top left.  The game ended with Taft on top 12-11!

Taft goals: Annelies Van Breen (3), Kasey Pietro (1), Ali Tucci (1), Story Viebranz (1)

The game began well as Taft’s Annelies Van Breen scored first within the first minute of the game.  A minute later Deerfield answered back.  We won the first few draws and the game was evenly played and it was tied a 4 goals apiece halfway through the first half.  Then three players at once had to come off the field to fix illegal mouth guards and in the confusion Deerfield was able to take the lead.  We re-grouped quickly with quick reactions by Katherine Jack, Tess Kneisel and Claire Allen.  However, we had lost our momentum and struggled to get it back.  We did play effective settled defense but struggled when Deerfield challenged us 1 v. 1. 

Individually our defense played well.  Sara Bermingham fought hard for every ground ball and draw control and was successful more times than not. Jackie Michnoff was a leader of the defense and did her best to keep the defense unified.  Emma Stein and Clair Beltran really turned in on in the second half especially and effectively transitioned the ball to the attack.  Kate Standish faced some tough shots from Deerfield but made quite a few really key saves and did her best to keep us in the game.  Katherine Gahagan who normally plays in the goal, played with the defense today and worked hard to be effective on defense.  Ali Tucci and Kasey Pietro had to work hard to get the ball in the midfield as Deerfield put a lot of pressure on us.  On her birthday, Lauren Bly once again show how versatile she is by starting out playing low attack making good cuts for the transition and then moving to low defense where she kept the Deerfield attack from making good cuts.  Story Viebranz was effective off the draw but struggled unusually with scoring as she was under the weather for the game. 

We are excited to play Miss Porter’s at home on Monday at 4:30!

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