PEABODY — You could call it a standout season for Peabody’s girls lacrosse team — one that included individual milestones and a share of the Northeastern Conference title.
But it officially ended Friday, as the No. 16 Tanners lost to No. 17 Bishop Feehan, 11-9, on home turf.
Despite an early exit from the Division 1 tournament, Peabody Coach Michelle Roach spoke highly of her seniors, who were freshmen when Roach took the job four years ago.
“They have done incredible things for the program – two league titles, and I’m pretty sure they don’t even have 20 losses in their career. It’s so impressive,” Roach said. “The leadership they showed today, the leadership they showed in a tough game on Saturday against Beverly to clinch a share of the league – I’m so proud and impressed with them.”
The Tanners led, 2-0, after the first quarter with goals coming from Brooke Lomasney (4 goals) and Madi Barrett (2). Unfortunately for Peabody, the team surrendered five straight goals to trail, 5-2, at halftime and 9-5 after the third quarter.
But one thing about this Peabody team: It never quits.
Despite trailing by four goals, the Tanners continued to fight and cut the deficit to one.
Ally Bettencourt (2 goals) scored to make it 9-6 before Lomasney found the back of the net to bring it within two.
Bettencourt kept winning draws to give Peabody possession. And from there, a goal from Sophia Kassis made it a one-goal game (9-8) with 7:58 remaining in the fourth quarter.
“The great thing about Ally is that she really rises in these tough moments. That has been a constant thing about her,” Roach said. “She’s critical on the draw, bringing it in and making smart plays. She knows when to push on or settle down. We scored right off those draws. She’s someone we can always count on in those big moments when we know we need something.”
The Shamrocks scored twice more before Lomasney netted the final goal of the game with 2:49 remaining. She finished her career with more than 500 points and is the all-time leading scorer in program history.
“The biggest silver lining – and what has been the theme of these seniors for four years – is that we are a tough team to compete against and we’re going to play you until the last horn goes,” Roach said. “We showed that tonight. Whenever we got down, we kept battling and we’re always fighting. We went on a three- or four-goal streak and got it within one.”
Roach credited Feehan’s goalie for making big saves throughout the game.
“Their goalie was very good,” Roach said. “We had some really good shots that we just couldn’t collect on. At times, I think we forced it a little bit too much.”
Although no team wants a season to end, Roach remained grateful for the experience.
“They (seniors) helped me fall in love with the game,” she said.
