Melrose tops Arlington, 14-13
Published April 19, 2019
By JENNIFER GENTILE
MELROSE—The Melrose High girl’s lacrosse team pulled off a 14-13 come-from-behind victory over Arlington on Thursday, April 11 at AHS Pierce Turf in Arlington, for their first win of the season.
Melrose overcame an early 4-0 deficit when the Lady Raiders struggled to get anything going.
“I give Arlington credit, they came ready to play,” said Melrose coach Matt Galusi. “We couldn’t get much done against them in the opening minutes. We called a time out, refocused and started chipping away one by one.”
Abby Cunningham and Emma Randolph each scored four goals for Melrose. Lily Cunningham enjoyed three goals while Ella Dececca scored her first varsity goal.
The win also marked the occasion of Abby Cunningham earning her 100th career goal.
THE MELROSE Lady Raider lacrosse team pulled off a comeback against Arlington, 14-13. (Donna Larsson photo)
“Abby played great, I think she is up to 103 goals now,” confirms Galusi.
Melrose had fallen to an 8-2 deficit when Galusi made a goaltending change that saw Marie Maher assume duties. The move paid off. “Marie made huge saves for us at the net and turned the game around,” he said. “It’s a great option, having multiple goalies.”
By halftime, aided by a coaching pep talk, regrouped at halftime and came out defensive-minded against the Spy Ponders. That readjustment led to Melrose outscoring Arlington, 7-3, in the second half.
Galusi notes the work on defenders Liz Casey, Chloe Halligan, Katie Wright, Liz Casey and Megan Fogarty as being instrumental in shutting down Spy Ponder offense. “Every time they scored one, we stepped up and scored two. But they kept Marie well defended.”
Melrose scored the go-ahead goal with 42 seconds left and survived a free shot with one second left, sparing the Lady Raiders of a tie-breaking scenario.
“It was way too close and we needed all 50 minutes for this game,” chuckles Galusi. “They played their heart out. This team never quits, that’s why I am so proud of them. Knowing we can play and beat the large teams in the division means so much.”
Next up, Melrose hosts Woburn on Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. at Fred Green Field.
