MARBLEHEAD — The Marblehead girls lacrosse team celebrated Senior Day the best way possible Monday, cruising to a 13-2 win over visiting Winthrop.
It was the latest win for a Magicians team that, after a rocky start, is really starting to hit its stride in the later part of the season.
“We are coming together very nicely and at the right time,” Marblehead Coach Annie Madden said. “We had two big losses at the beginning of the season and each of those losses taught us who we are as a team. At this point right now we’re coming together at the right time and finding each other in the midfield and offensively.”
Senior goalkeeper Elizabeth Driscoll led the way for Marblehead with 13 saves. Driscoll didn’t allow her two goals until deep into the fourth quarter, when the Magicians already had the game on ice.
“Elizabeth has just been a rock for us on defense,” Madden said. “She’s a leader, she’s an outstanding goalie and we’re lucky to have her on this team.”
Maddie Erskine topped the score sheet with six goals, two assists and three ground balls. Molly Forbes added two goals and three ground balls. Lucy Wales, Abby Kalinowski (one assist), Hadley Wales, Sydney Langton and Josie Poulin (two assists) all had one goal each. Mae Colwell picked up five ground balls and forced two turnovers.
Prior to the game, the Magicians honored their group of nine seniors — Erskine, Kalinowski, Poulin, Driscoll, Forbes, Colwell, Fehr Gillett, Natalie Paquette and Natalia Goldwasser — for their contributions to the program over the years.
Despite the loss, Winthrop put together a solid game against some top-notch Northeastern Conference competition. Maura Dorr and Mia Martucci each scored one goal for the Vikings.
“Marblehead is a very good team, but I was just telling my girls I think that was one of the better games we’ve played all year actually,” Winthrop coach Ben Cimmino said. “The scoreboard probably didn’t indicate that, but their goalie was phenomenal. Obviously a very good player. We talked about some goals in the beginning of the game, getting shots on net, battling for ground balls and clearing the ball. I think we accomplished all of that.”
It didn’t take Marblehead long to get ahead. Just seven seconds in, Langton scored the first goal of the day and the Magicians added another pair of goals in the first quarter to go up 3-0.
Winthrop had its fair share of scoring chances, including a handful of free positions for Martucci, but Driscoll was up to the task and kept Marblehead ahead with some early saves.
Erskine scored with just six seconds remaining in the first half to send Marblehead into the break with a 4-0 lead.
Marblehead started to run away with things in the third. Hadley Wales started the scoring in the frame before another pair of tallies from Erskine. Next, Forbes and Kalinowski scored one goal each and Marblehead took a 9-0 lead into the fourth.
Lucy Wales added her goal early on before Winthrop finally broke through with a goal from Martucci to cut the lead to 10-1. Erskine and Dorr traded goals next before Forbes and Poulin capped off the scoring and the win for Marblehead.
Marblehead (6-2, 4-1 in NEC) is at Masconomet Thursday (4).
Winthrop (3-9) hosts Peabody Thursday (4).
