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WORCESTER, Mass. — The Algonquin Girls Varsity Lacrosse team ended their season on Friday, but not the way anyone on the team would have preferred.
The Tomahawks fell to the Westwood, 20-6, in the Division I state championship at Foley Stadium on Friday.
Though they were able to hold their own at the beginning of the game, the Tomahawks eventually faltered against the No. 1 ranked Wolverines.
"I think in the end they have better stick skills," Algonquin Coach John Healy said. "You have to play 50 better minutes to come out on top."
There was no lack of scoring in this game. Within six minutes, there were six goals on the board, four of which belonged to Westwood.
But any hope the Tomahawks had of staying within striking distance of their opponents soon faded, thanks to the work of Westwood's top scorers, Laura McHoul and Kate Rich.
"They came back and they hit us hard," Healy said.
In the second quarter alone, Westwood went from leading by three to leading by ten. Ultimately, the team scored ten unanswered goals while the Tomahawks struggled with passing issues and the speedy Wolverine offense.
Taylor O'Connell and Hannah Lindgren did pick up goals for Algonquin later in the second half, but not before Westwood had accumulated 20 goals. Over the course of the game, McHoul scored seven goals and four assists, while Rich had five goals and two assists.
"We knew it was going to be a tough game," Algonquin Captain Carly O'Connell said. "We didn't play our best. We were surprised we made it this far. It was just an honor being here."
"They're a phenomenal team," she said of the Wolverines.
Friday's game was Westwood's second consecutive championship, and its sixth in the past ten years. The team finished their season with a 23-2 record
"There's always regrets as you lose," O'Connell said. "I wish we had played the way we did the first five minutes the whole game."
Despite their disappointing loss, Algonquin had an undeniably great season, finishing with a 21-2 record. O'Connell, a senior, joined the ranks of Algonquin's all-time great scorers when she surpassed 500 career points this season.
And though many great players have graduated, Coach Healy is already looking toward next year.
"We'll just rebuild and regroup and start over," he said.
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