LYNNFIELD — The Lynnfield girls lacrosse team had a tough start to its 2022 season Wednesday afternoon, coming up short against Cape Ann League rival North Reading by a score of 12-6 at Pioneer Stadium.
Taylor Valiton led the offense for the Pioneers, notching four goals. Chloe Considine and Maddie Mastrangelo each scored one goal in the loss.
North Reading’s Brianne Slattery had a stellar game with seven goals, while Henna Mahoney and Faith Newton each scored two. Shea Tully also had a single score.
Both Valiton and Slattery received high praise from their respective coaches regarding their strong performances. For Valiton, being a freshman and notching four goals in a varsity start is nothing short of outstanding, while on the other side of the ball, Slattery’s seven-goal performance really showcases her talent.
The first half of the contest saw the Pioneers and Hornets evenly matched throughout a majority of it. However, behind Slattery’s three early scores, the Hornets found themselves up 5-3 going into the second half.
Valiton kept the deficit as small as possible for the Pioneers with two first-half goals of her own, alongside Mastrangelo’s lone score.
“Last year was a tough season for these girls, and I think we’re just trying to turn it around,” said Pioneers head coach Christina Serra, now in her first year at the helm. “This is my first time ever coaching varsity, and I’m just trying my best to learn with everyone. We’re not about winning every game; we’re just trying to get better each game.”
When the second half began, the Hornets came out with a fire that had started to ignite before the break. Slattery put her team on her back and proceeded to score four more goals — almost all in rapid succession — to extend the Hornets lead to as many as seven late into the half.
The Pioneers slowly tried to close the gap behind Valiton’s third and fourth scores of the game and Considine’s first goal, but ultimately, they came up short.
“They have a new coach, they’re a new team, so we didn’t know what kind of things they were going to try,” said North Reading head coach Matt Costello. “We just wanted to come out and control what we could, and take advantage of our openings and look for high percentage opportunities.”
Lynnfield (0-1) is set to face off against Triton on Monday (5).
