LYNN — The stakes in Saturday morning’s game between the St. Mary’s and Arlington Catholic girls lacrosse teams were clear for Spartans junior Codi Butt.
A midfielder, Butt needed five goals to reach 200 for her career, 10 goals to reach 100 for the 2018 season and a win to help the Spartans close in on a state tournament berth.
She checked off all three of those boxes in a 15-8 St. Mary’s victory over the Cougars at Manning Field.
Butt finished the win with 10 goals and two assists, scoring five goals in each half.
“Codi works hard,” St. Mary’s coach K.C. Butt, Codi’s mother, said. “She works hard all the time, not just in practice. She’s always working, always playing lacrosse. She’s always catching, throwing, shooting in the backyard all the time. It pays off, you can tell.”
Butt fired five tallies into the back of the net in a second half St. Mary’s rally that saw an 8-6 game turn into a 15-6 rout. Arlington Catholic scored twice in the closing minute of play for the 15-8 final.
For Butt, the career milestone is a reflection of teamwork. Madi Henstosh finished the game with four assists, while Meg Parthum dished two assists and Kelsey Sullivan logged one assist.
“I think I owe a lot of it to my teammates, Meg (Parthum) and Madi (Hentosh) especially,” Butt said. “I couldn’t do it without them. They find me on the field.”
Through her three-year varsity career at St. Mary’s, Butt has totalled 205 goals and 88 assists. That places her at 293 career points, seven shy of reaching the 300-point plateau.
“I hoped to be the best player that I could be,” said Butt, a Swampscott native who also plays on St. Mary’s girls hockey team. “I think I’m getting there. I had hoped that I’d reach this point and I hope to continue to reach my goals and continue reaching accolades like this.”
Making the morning even more memorable for Butt and her teammates, the Spartans were able to come away with a key win as they push toward a state tournament berth. With the victory, St. Mary’s improved to 8-8 on the season with four regular season games remaining. The Spartans need two more wins to quality for states. St. Mary’s hosts Lowell Catholic Monday (5) at Manning.
The Spartans have battled a handful of key injuries throughout the year but that hasn’t stopped them from closing in on the postseason.
“I’d rather win than score the 200th goal,” Butt said. “I think it shows that we’re willing to overcome a lot. It says a lot about the mental toughness that our coaches have instilled on us throughout the season. It shows a lot about our resiliency and that we refuse to give up.”
