Somers girls lacrosse tops North Rockland in opener

SOMERS, N.Y. - On Saturday, March 29, Somers girls lacrosse made the long trip to North Rockland, and after the opening minutes, a very long day on the field also seemed imminent. 

Three quick goals by the Red Raiders could have had Somers counting the minutes until they went home. But the Tuskers refused to let the early blip beat them.

The girls responded with two goals of their own, eventually took a 5-4 lead and won the day by a score of 12-10.

The way back began with defense, and when Kate Barton chased down the result, Somers had possession for the first time at 9:11. A key factor in which coach Deb Daly highlighted two players among all the good work on defense. 

“Meadow Dondl and Sydney Ingraham both caused crucial turnovers that turned the tide in our favor,” she said.

Somers then worked the perimeter and eventually got on the board. With 8:35 left in the first, Caitlyn Mayfield’s draw gave Somers the ball again, and Somers was two for two when the dust settled.

North Rockland did answer back four minutes later. But the Somers roll was not interrupted for very long, and once again, a turnover began the incline. The pressure yielded a loose ball, and the defense scooped it up at 2:36.

From there, the offense maintained possession, and Somers rolled out another crucial component in the victory. 

“Drawing penalties from the opponent is key, and both Kate Barton and Mia Paulmeno each contributed to that effort, highlighting their aggressive style of play,” said Daly.

Moments later, Somers scored on the penalty and went into the second period trailing 4-3.

Not for long, Mayfield won the draw, and a little ball movement later, the elephants were all tied at 11:28.

Next, Mayfield was in the middle again. She won the scramble on the draw, and later when the ball was on the ground behind the goal, the middie refused to let it go. She picked up the ball, muscled her way out front and swung down over the crowded defense.

5-4 at 10:31, North Rockland didn’t let Somers get away by scoring two minutes later, and the back and forth was on. A 7-7 score emerged, but the Tuskers would score the next four goals, and their feet stamped down, Daly was ready with praise for the offense. 

“We had some standout performances this game, particularly from Lyla Mancini and Sydney Ingraham. Both contributed significantly with three goals each, while Lyla also showed her playmaking abilities with two assists. In addition, Mayfield followed closely with three goals as well and showcased her scoring prowess,” the coach concluded.