PEABODY — Although meeting twice previously in the Catholic Central League, No. 9 Bishop Fenwick hosted No. 24 St. Mary’s, with the Crusaders winning 8-3 and advancing to the next round of the state tournament.
Both teams got out to a strong start, with the score tied at two after the first quarter. Bishop Fenwick struck first when Kiley Bloom’s shot hit the back of the net.
The Spartans scored the next two goals, as Shaye Denning went by multiple defenders before slotting home St. Mary’s opening goal. Twenty-one seconds later, Ava Nason scored quickly after the draw to give the Spartans a 2-1 lead.
With 2:38 left in the first quarter, Breanna Genzale made a pass in traffic to a cutting Hannah Bettencourt to tie the game.
Genzale was a key cog in the Crusaders’ offense, scoring two goals and providing an assist in the win. The junior was praised by Head Coach Jill Robinson.
“She’s been battling an injury, so I’m really happy with how she powered through today. She kept the offense cool today in a rivalry game when it can get a bit fiery,” Robinson said. “She did a great job of controlling the offense as a junior.”
Bishop Fenwick had a 4-2 lead at halftime before holding St. Mary’s to just one goal in the second half.
“We’re a young team that’s only graduating two seniors. We have a couple of sixth graders, a couple of seventh graders, and a few eighth graders who start,” St. Mary’s Head Coach Manny Lopes said. “We’ve played a lot of top teams this year. We’ve played Lexington, Hamilton-Wenham and Bishop Fenwick. My whole plan this year was for them to see this level of competition.”
Lopes credited senior captains Caroline Hauch and Georgia Allaire for their leadership on a young team.
“Georgia plays soccer and is an incredibly smart kid. People respect her even if lacrosse isn’t her main sport,” Lopes said. “Caroline is also another very respected captain of ours. She might not have gotten as many minutes, but she’s always showing up and giving her all.”
For Robinson and Bishop Fenwick, this was the third time beating St. Mary’s, and a main reason for that, according to Robinson, was its zone defense.
“Caroline Lapalme and Francesca Herbert are our defenders on the top, and they do a great job of forcing our opponents to their weak hand and slowing them down. They can make the other team switch their offense to the opposite side, being on their non-dominant side,” Robinson said. “Cori McMeniman did a great job on Ava Nason today. She kept an eye on her because she’s their leading scorer and a very talented player.”
Now, Bishop Fenwick will travel to No. 8 Apponequet Regional, with the date and time to be determined. Although it’s a 60-plus-mile journey, Robinson said the travel won’t be an issue.
“I’m not worried about playing on the South Shore. As a CCL team, we drive everywhere. We’re used to long bus rides. We’ll have fun, eat snacks and hopefully the bus ride home is a lot of fun,” Robinson said.
