Westford Youth Lacrosse Game Recaps From 4/27, 4/28 and 4/29

Boys Lacrosse

Boys U11

U-11 Grey 11 Chemlsford 9

Westford Grey took on rival Chelmsford on a large field and used the new field size to demonstrate their individual and  team skills. Goalies Matt Wasylyshyn and Cole Barisano saw more shots than any previous game and did a fantastic job of holding off a very strong team.  The Grey put on a passing clinic as they started plays from their defense end all the way to the offensive end.    Chelmsford struck early but Westford came back quickly as Matt Acabbo struck  with the first Westford Goal, which were on top of his two assists on the day.  Matt Sepe put in his second of three goals, as he took a feed from the outside wing from Cole Barisano.   Jake Gross won a face off, found Matt Acabbo, who sent it back to Jake, who rifled the ball into the back of the net.  Kyle Doherty was next to strike as he took a great sharp pass from Steven Donovan, who worked hard on the ground balls all day.   Alex Oakleaf was tenacious on defense and on ground balls as it paid off in the offensive end as he dug one out and with a quick release was able to beat the goalie.  Chelmsford was up 9 to 7 at this point but The Grey showed their resolve but fought back hard behind great defense and aggressive play from Alec Morgan, David Robertson, Peter Beck, and Jack Wilson.   The Grey struck next when Austin Smith worked hard for a ball and found Matt Wasylyshyn in the front of the net who whistled it past the goalie.  Mike Kennedy showing his catching and passing skills found Jake Barisano streaking towards the net who put in the first of his two goals.  Nathan Arsenault worked hard to stay open all game and was rewarded with a quick feed that he stuffed into the top corner.   The team rose to the occasion, showed their character by working hard which allowed them to come from behind.

Westford 10 vs. Northboro-Southboro (3)

 The U11 Maroon boys played as a strong team during their late afternoon game this past Sunday.  Northboro-Southboro was first to score but the Westford boys answered back with strong passing among offensive players.  Lucas Laroche fed the perfect pass to John Alfano (4 goals) and John scored to put Westford on the board.  Minutes later, Pressly Mead zipped downfield and sent a strong shot into the net to score.  Anthony Pappalardo fought his way into the perfect position and scored with a great assist from Dylan Breen (who later scored 2 goals.)  Midfielders Ryan Crann and Nolan Ratte contributed to offensive efforts and aggressively put pressure on our opponant.  Teamwork continued to serve this team well as Pressly Mead tossed a 30-yard pass to  Rhys Whitehill who spun and scored!  Defensive players, Carson DeMont, Harry Laushine and Ryan Reid, were a force to be reckoned with at the other end of the field.  They blocked several shots and prevented their opponants from achieving close-range shooting positions.  The score was 5-2 at halftime and Westford continued strong scoring throughout the second half.  Harry Laushine shot a bullet pass to Lucas Laroche who swiftly dodged his opponant and scored.  Attackmen, Carlos Dion, Brian Ellis, Jack Healy, helped this team maintain possesion of the ball throughout most of the fourth quarter.  Serving as goalie for the first time, Nick Green stopped several shots on goal and held our opponant to only 3 goals scored throughout this game.  Westford U11 Maroon boys will tavel to Acton-Boxborough this Sunday, May 6. 

U-13 Boys

Maroon  Team 6 vs. Chelmsford 5

The U-13 Maroon team played a tough physical Chelmsford team Sunday winning 6-5. Anchored in goal by Brandon Chasse in the second half Maroon held off a late game charge scoring 2 in the fourth quarter by Connor Pandiscio and John Swanson. Scoring in the first half came from Zake Prenergast, Cam Barisano, Owen Schwabb and Nick Antes. The defense led by Tom Burke and Dan Wilson held off a determined Chelmsford team in the 2nd half.

U-13 Select

Westford 5 vs Medway  2

The U-13 select team played 2 games over the weekend winning both in hotly contested matchup’s. Playing on a cold windy Friday night the team beat Medway 5-2, with Mike Gorham scoring two and other goals coming from Chris Blouin, John Swanson and Mat Curran. The team had great goalie work, from Colin Slafkosky and Nick Furness. The defense was anchored by Tom Burke, Connor Burke and Shane Kelly.

Westford 16 vs Ashland 14

Playing on Sunday at Sonybrook School the U-13 select team battled to a 16-14 victory over Ashland. The team had great midfield transition play from John Swanson, David Lizotte, Tim Kapetanakis and John McGrath. Goals scorers where lead by Ian Lobo who netted 4, and Mike Gorham and Chris Blouin each with 3. Additional goals where added by Nick Antes with 2, Jason Bunyon, Matt Curran, John McGrath and John Swanson. The next U-13 Select game is Friday 6 pm at Stonybrook School.

U15 Boys

Westford Grey Select remains undefeated at 5-0

 Two solid victories on Friday and Saturday kept the Westford Grey team’s undefeated record in tact.  In the Friday night game, Westford got out to a fast start, jumping all over North Andover as the attack duo of Richard Paglia (5 goals, 1 assist) and Justin Linden (2 goals, 2 assists) worked the left corner of the crease to perfection scoring early and often to guide Westford to a 6-0 lead at the end of the 1st quarter.  The 2nd quarter was a different story, however, as North Andover made some defensive adjustments to slow down the Westford offense.  These adjustments worked well, stifling Westford and allowing North Andover to close the gap to 6-2 at halftime.  Determined to kick-start the offense, Kevin Enos (2 goals, 2 assists) and Mike Mulligan (1 goal, 1 assist) tallied to put Westford comfortably in front by a score of 10-3 after 3 quarters.  The defensive unit of Derek Beatty, Brandon McNabb, Ryan Delaney and Reilly Enos once again held strong to limit North Andover to very few good scoring opportunities.  Kyle Martin and James Flory shared the goaltender duties, allowing only 6 goals on the game.  Patrick Hesseltine added a goal in the final quarter as Westford went on to win 11-6.  In the Saturday game, although Westford came out slow, they did not have any offensive lapses and was able to outscore Ashland in each quarter to methodically go on to win 9-1.  Justin Linden led the scoring with 3 goals and 1 assist.  Other scorers include Kevin Enos (4 assists), Richard Paglia (2 goals, 1 assist), Alex Flanagan (2 goals), Eric McLaughlin (1 goal) and Mike Mulligan (1 goal).  Despite not seeing many shots, Jack Cusworth played very well in net making nice saves when called upon and only allowing one to get past him.  Westford’s next Select game will take place in Reading on Friday, May 4th.

Westford Team #1 14 vs. Chelmsford 6

 The U-15 Black team had a very nice 14-6 victory over Chelmsford to bring their record even at 2-2 on the season.  Westford came together as a team, standing up for each other and not backing down to a tough Chelmsford squad.  Everyone contributed to the win with solid defensive play, good ground ball work, excellent ball movement, patience on offense and capitalizing on scoring opportunities.  Goaltender duties were shared by Brennan Atkins, Justin Linden and Daniel Koerner, all of whom played well.  The defensive unit of Derek Beatty, Jake Cantalupo and Nick Goodman limited Chelmsford to just a few good scoring opportunities.  Beatty shut down Chelmsford’s top offensive player who was very frustrated by the end of the game.  Beatty was also a 1-man clearing machine and on two occasions took the ball all the way down on offense for goals of his own.  Midfielder Andrew Merrell got his first goal of the season on a nice cut to the net where Attackman Richard Paglia (7 goals, 2 assists) got him the ball.  Other scorers include Justin Linden (3 goals, 3 assists), Jason Hughes (1 goal, 1 assist) and Nick Regan (1 assist).  Midfielders Zach Goldberg, Jon Kruger, Brian Curran and Brandon Donovan all put in an excellent effort, hustling up and down the field to stay one step ahead of Chelmsford.  Matt Lavallee and Cabot Rolt moved the ball very well on attack and got some scoring opportunities that came up just short.  Westford’s next game will be at home against Wakefield on Sunday, May 6th.

Girls Lacrosse

U11 Girls

Westford Red vs. Lexington Blue

The Girls U11 Westford Red lacrosse team played a skillful game while hosting Lexington Blue. Starting goalie Jennifer McLaughlin (7 saves) and second half keeper Hannah Seyffert (2 saves) had outstanding games protecting the cage. Leading the offense were Alana Donovan and Samantha Dougherty with 2 goals each. Additional scoring was provided by Nicole O’Neil, Michaela Martin and Jennifer McLaughlin.
Strong defense by Elle Prendergast, Julia Tracanna and Amelia Stratemeyer pestered the opposition. Numerous passes were made by attackers Lily Quinn, Carley Watson and Sarah Schneller.  Grace Arsenault, Kate Trotter and Meghan MacDermott were able to control the midfield and send the ball into the critical scoring area in front of the goal. Next Sunday GU11 Westford Red will travel to Andover.

U13 Girls

Westford Red vs Groton-Dunstable

The Westford Red U13 girls lacrosse team played Groton Dunstable Black in its third game of the season on a perfect Sunday for lacrosse. The two teams were very evenly matched which made for a great game. The offense was led by Alyna Baharozian and Caley McKenney who each scored two goals. Other offensive standouts were Caroline Chaffiotte and Cara Hackley who made several great drives and shots on goal. Also contributing to the offense at attack were Abby Wood, Kayla Schladenhauffen and Kate Walker. Jessica O’Neil and Erika Waterhouse made several full field clears after winning ground balls on defense that took away scoring opportunities for GD and got the Westford offense going. Anchoring great midfield play were Alison Breen, Cassie Clark, Carina Stafstrom, Hannah Kruger and Katherine Pawlak. The intense defensive effort was led by goalie Isabel Heitkamp who recorded 5 saves and tight man to man defense by Sofia Marchetti, Sydney Linden and Makena Waterhouse.