It took several minutes for Sacred Heart Greenwich’s Varsity A lacrosse team to find its rhythm and form on offense against School of the Holy Child on Wednesday, yet once it did the goals came quickly, resulting in a happy home-opener.

The Tigers, who played New Canaan High School in a scrimmage game on Monday, competed in its first official home matchup Wednesday and it did so in style, producing the first of what they hope, is many victories this spring.

Sisters Maggie Bacigalupo and Charley Bacigalupo combined for 11 goals, while senior Payton Sfreddo recorded three goals and three assists to power host Sacred Heart to a convincing 17-5 victory.

The triumph evened Sacred Heart’s record at 1-1. The 2024 season-opener saw the Tigers get edged on the road by Noble and Greenough School, 11-9, on March 22.

“We had a little bit of a rocky start against Nobles, we definitely learned a lot from that game, it was a good learning experience,” Sacred Heart Greenwich senior captain/defender Olivia Leahy said. “It’s definitely something that’s motivating us and fueling the rest of our season. We don’t want to lose again like that, so it’s pushing us forward to get good results like today.”

Leahy serves as team captain along with Kaitlin Robinson and Sfreddo. Next season, Leahy will play lacrosse at the collegiate level at Stanford University, while Robinson will continue her lacrosse career at Duke University and Sfreddo will compete on the lacrosse team at the University of Virginia.

In Wednesday’s game against Holy Child, SHG led 4-0 following the first quarter, then took a commanding 11-1 advantage into halftime.

“We had a tough start against Nobles last Friday, but I think it was a good opportunity to learn from it,” said Sfreddo, who also excelled on the school’s field hockey and basketball teams since her freshman year. “We didn’t play too well our first game, so getting stronger from that and taking it as a learning opportunity and we’re going to go up from there.”

Charley Bacigalupo, a junior midfielder, registered six goals with one assist, while her sister Maggie, a senior midfielder, tallied five goals to help propel the Tigers (1-1). Junior midfielder Daphne Fallon posted one goal and one assist, while Robinson and sophomore midfielder Ryan Hodge added one goal apiece in the winning effort.

“It’s always a good game against Holy Child, we have a lot of stuff we can work on in this game,” said Robinson, a midfielder. “It took us a little while to score, but once we got scoring, we did well.”

“We just need to focus on the basics, catching, throwing, handling pressure, draw controls,” continued Robinson, who has flourished on the Varsity A squad since her freshman season. “Working on the basics will help us do better against other opponents as well.”

Sacred Heart’s Varsity A squad is coming off a spirited 2023 season in which it notched a record of 16-1, including 11 consecutive victories to end the season. Last spring, the Tigers capped their memorable season with wins against Dexter Southfield School and Phillips Exeter Academy at the Prep Invitational Tournament. SHG concluded its 2023 campaign with a 15-5 victory against Phillips Exeter Academy at the Prep Invitational.

Sacred Heart ended its 2023 season ranked No. 9 in the nation in the USA/Nike Lacrosse High School National Rankings. They were also the No. 1-ranked team in the NEPSAC.

Graduating from last spring’s highly successful squad were seven seniors, all of whom are playing sports at the collegiate level. The Tigers’ 2023 seniors included Corbin Callaway (playing lacrosse at Bucknell University), Olivia Caponiti (playing field hockey at Princeton University), McKenzie Coleman (competing in lacrosse at Elon University), Kelly Haggerty (playing lacrosse at Fairfield University), Laura O’Connor (lacrosse, Yale University), Karina Sethi (lacrosse, University of Vermont) and Maggie Sullivan (Colgate, lacrosse). Callaway and Haggerty captained the Tigers’ 2023 team.

“We are definitely rebuilding from last year, we lost a lot of key seniors,” Sfreddo said. “But we are looking really good, I’m super confident in this team and the abilities we’re showing.”

This spring’s SHG Varsity A team includes seven seniors, five juniors and a group of underclassmen with a lot of potential.

“We have seven strong seniors, all of whom are going to play at the next level,” SHG co-head coach Sharon Robinson said. “We have five strong juniors, so we have 12 upperclassmen, which is awesome. They’re experienced, they’re very talented, they work hard.”

In Wednesday’s matchup against visiting Holy Child, Sfreddo started the scoring by tallying off a strong drive to the net. Maggie Bacigalupo scored off a pass from Sfreddo, then Sfreddo set up Charley Bacigalupo for a goal, giving SHG a 3-0 lead on Holy Child. Sfreddo’s goal off a dodge made it 4-0 in favor of the home team with 1:47 left in the first quarter.

“It was really great, we started off a little slow, but we definitely picked it up as we went on. We have a lot left to go in our season,” noted Charley Bacigalupo, whose six goals were a team-high. “I think it’s going to be a great season.”

Junior Daphne Fallon tallied off an 8-meter shot for the Tigers’ fifth goal, then Robinson scored off a dodge, making it 6-0 with 4:19 to go in the second quarter. The Bacigalupo sisters went on a goal-scoring surge thereafter, notching eight straight goals and nine of the team’s next 11.

“I think our teamwork and our collective effort from everyone on the team was so high,” said Maggie Bacigalupo, who will play on the lacrosse team at Princeton University next year. “We came out with a bang and it couldn’t have been a better day of lacrosse.”

Indeed, SHG had extra motivation going into Wednesday’s home game against School of the Holy Child after losing a close game against Noble & Greenough School.

“Coming off our loss against Nobles, we have a lot to work on,” Maggie Bacigalupo said. “Our ride and our clear have to be better and we’re working on that every day in practice. Our goal is to get 100 percent better every day.”

“It was a tough loss, we had 20 turnovers,” Sharon Robinson noted. “We’re still figuring it out, we have strong, great kids who are working hard. I love these kids, they work hard, they’re awesome. We have a tough schedule, but the girls are working hard and we’re excited.”

Maggie Bacigalupo tallied in transition, then converted a shot off a pass from senior attack Wowie Walker (who will play lacrosse at Middlebury College), putting the Tigers on top, 8-0.

Holy Child scored at the 1:10 mark of the second quarter, then SHG responded with three straight goals – one from Charley Bacigalupo and two from her sister Maggie. Sfreddo, Walker and Hodge assisted on the Bacigalupo sister’s three straight tallies, respectively.

“It starts with the defense and today it started with our defense – caused turnovers on to the attacking side,” said Charley Bacigalupo who has committed to play lacrosse at Notre Dame. “To win we have to put in the whole team effort.”

Charley Bacigalupo began the Tigers’ third-quarter scoring, then after Holy Child tallied three straight times to make it 13-4, Charley and Sfreddo each converted shots, giving the hosts a 15-4 advantage.

Freshman Olivia Franco and sophomore Addy split time in goal for the Tigers in their home-opening game. Addy made one save, while Franco stopped two shots for the victors, who outshot the Gryphons, 24-12, for the game, while gathering 17 groundballs.

“They are both playing very well, we are very pleased with how they’ve been playing,” coach Robinson said of the squad’s goalies.

Leahy and senior Ava Lillis helped pace the defensive effort and will be relied upon to anchor the unit for the Tigers this spring. Lillis will take her lacrosse skills to Davidson College.

“We have a great defense, we have eight defenders total and at least one from every single class,” Leahy noted. “We’ve been doing a great job of playing with a backer and man defense. I feel really confident about our defense this year, especially with the help from the middies as well.”

The Tigers’ captains are looking forward to guiding the team to what they hope, is another sensational season.

“I’m so excited as a senior, it’s an awesome opportunity to lead this team alongside Payton and Olivia,” Kaitlin Robinson said. “I’m really excited about what we can do, we have a lot of potential that we need to work on but there’s a lot of opportunities.”

Lila O’Brien, a senior midfielder, headed to Notre Dame, intercepted a pass, Georgia Lillis, a sophomore midfielder, gathered a groundball and freshman attack Whitney Rousseau had one assist in the winning effort.

“We have a lot of great strong middies and they incorporate them all over the field,” Charley Bacigalupo noted. “Sometimes we’re playing defense or attack. All of the middies are so skilled to play wherever, so it’s great to have these people to help us in all these positions.”

As for having the opportunity to compete on the same team as her sister Maggie over the years?

“It’s been amazing, every since my freshman year our bond has gotten so much closer and it’s so much fun playing with her on the field too and getting to spend that time with her,” Charley said. “It’s sad it’s our last year together, but it’s going to be a really fun one.”

Sacred Heart visits William Penn Charter School in Pennsylvania today, then travels to Oak Knoll Academy on April 6, before returning for a home game on Westminster School on April 10. The Tigers’ game against neighborhood rival Greenwich Academy is scheduled to take place on April 24 at Greenwich Academy.

“I think this being my final year, we have all taken a leadership role on the team, especially the captains,” Maggie Bacigalupo said. “We’re excited to have a great season and play as hard as we can. We’re super excited to play a bunch of teams that are ranked really high in the country and we think that competition is what makes us better.

Said Sfreddo: “The main goal is to have a ton of fun, definitely have a winning season, stay in the top-25. I think we have the potential to be a top-five team in the country. We want to always give everything we have on the field.”

The lacrosse experience at SHG has certainly been a time to remember for the senior athletes.

“It’s going to be hard to leave Sacred Heart, because this is such an awesome program,” Kaitlin Robinson said. “Everyone here gives it their all every day. I’m really excited for next year, but it’s been awesome to be in such an amazing place the past four years and I can’t wait.”