The dilemma for the Cheverus girls’ lacrosse team Wednesday after winning the Eastern Class A final involved the postgame photograph.
The players posed with index fingers held aloft, the classic “We’re No. 1” designation.
Wait a minute, one player wondered. Shouldn’t we save that one for the state championship?
Ultimately, they decided to take one photo each way.
Both were correct.
The Stags, the defending state champions, earned another trip to Fitzpatrick Stadium with a convincing 13-7 win over a strong Messalonskee squad.
“It was a big motivation for us,” Cheverus senior midfielder Elyse Caiazzo said after scoring two goals and adding four assists on a balky ankle. “But we also want to go out there and play our game and have fun. We love going to states.”
Top-seeded Cheverus (12-3) suffered a setback in the opening minute when Caiazzo stepped on an opponent’s foot and crumpled to the ground. She limped off and didn’t return until 11 minutes later, with second-seeded Messalonskee (11-4) leading 2-1.
Caiazzo immediately fed fellow captain Alex Logan for the tying goal. She added two more assists in the first half, setting up Abby Biegel, and Cheverus was off and running.
“She’s great at possessing the ball in the midfield. She just sees things behind, and she has a strong crease role,” Cheverus Coach Mallory Pelkey said.
For Caiazzo, the ankle injuries are nothing new. She said she has twisted and bent both of them so often playing soccer, basketball and lacrosse that it’s been about four years since she had any ligaments. She will be taped up and ready to go Saturday when Cheverus faces Massabesic for the state championship.
“It definitely really hurt, especially since there’s a brace and that should have caught it,” Caiazzo said, with her ankle wrapped in plastic. “But I got over it. You just have to pull through for the team.”
Biegel led Cheverus with four goals, constantly bursting to the middle to receive passes.
“She’s really good at seeing the field and what time to cut,” Caiazzo said. “I was looking for that open space and she kept getting there and I knew her height and I knew where to pass it.”
Biegel said the team needed to overcome an early bout of nerves, a common problem this season.
“Once we (call) timeout and re-evaluate, after that we start playing our game,” she said. “A big thing on our team is positivity. That’s one thing we’re constantly reminding our teammates about.”
Meredith Willard added three goals for Cheverus. Ally Fischang scored all four of Messalonskee’s second-half goals.
Pelkey said the Stags haven’t been openly discussing a repeat championship. But now that the game is upon them, that will change.
“We weren’t there until we got there. Tomorrow, we’ll really start to talk about it and get our heads ready for it,” she said.
“We’re still hungry. We want it again.”
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