SAUGUS — It’s never too early to exact revenge.
On a rain-soaked Wednesday at the Christie Serino Jr. Athletic Sports Complex, Saugus’ girls lacrosse team defeated Winthrop 11-5 just two days after Winthrop handled Saugus 4-3.
There were two offensive stars who stood out for the hosts: junior Maria Garcia and senior Alyson Mabee, both of whom netted hat tricks.
One of the plays of the game came during the first quarter when Garcia intercepted a pass and sprinted past multiple Vikings. After traveling 60 yards, Garcia found Mabee, who fired in the game’s first goal.
“Maria is a superstar in my eyes,” said first-year Saugus coach Amanda Jacquier. “She’s a team player through and through. Our team is lucky to have her; the midfield is lucky to have her. She never stops running and she is not selfish at all with the ball. She will work hard to bring the ball up and will pass it off if someone has a better shot. I’m very impressed with her.”
Later during the opening quarter, Mabee scored off a penalty to give Saugus a 2-1 lead going into the second. Mabee ripped her third goal four minutes into the second half to give Saugus a 5-2 cushion.
“She is one of the leaders on the field. She is confident with the ball and makes the passes that lead to plays,” Jacquier said of Mabee. “She has great placement with her shots and we’re really lucky to have her.”
Winthrop didn’t go down without a fight. Trailing 6-3 heading into the fourth quarter, Avalina Coffey and Reese Ferrara (3 goals) scored early in the fourth quarter to make it 7-5.
Unfortunately for the Vikings, Saugus netted four goals across the final 5:40 to give Jacquier her first win as coach of the Sachems.
“I was really impressed by our team. They did amazing passing the ball and knew when to slow the ball down. Their defense and communication were great,” Jacquier said. “We played Winthrop on Monday and were one goal short, but I knew they could pull it together and come out with a win. What’s most important is that they believed in themselves.”
Despite the loss, Winthrop coach Anthony Hatzisavas said there were positives.
“We need more scoring, but we got Reese Ferrara going today. She didn’t score on Monday, but she scored three today. It’s good to get her some confidence because she’s going to be one of our leading scorers,” Hatzisavas said. “I thought our goalie, Anabel Bettano, has been playing well. Tough game today, but she made some great saves. We’re very young, so a lot of these girls haven’t played lacrosse before high school. We don’t have youth lacrosse in Winthrop, so some of them are learning on the fly.”
Winthrop received three goals from Ferrara and a goal apiece from Coffey and Morgan Margado. Leading the way for Saugus were Mabee (3 goals), Garcia (3), Teaghan Arsenault (2), Natalie Justice (1), Nikki Breton (1), and Brooke Diaz (1).
Jacquier has been enjoying every minute of coaching the Sachems.
“I’m loving it,” she said. “I love coming to practice every day. They put a smile on my face, they work hard, and they’re a great team.”
Both teams face Gloucester next. Winthrop battles the Fishermen on Friday at 4:30 p.m., while Saugus makes the visit on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.
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