Greenwich Academy scored the first goal, but Sacred Heart Greenwich lit the scoreboard thereafter in Wednesday’s lacrosse showdown between the Varsity A, longtime, neighborhood rivals.

Limiting Greenwich Academy to only one first-half goal, Sacred Heart Greenwich entered halftime with six goal lead on its way to earning a highly impressive 13-4 road win in a physical, intense matchup before a large gathering at Greenwich Academy.

Junior midfielder Charley Bacigalupo recorded a game-high four goals, while senior midfielder Payton Sfreddo and Kaitlin Robinson, also a senior midfielder/attack scored three goals apiece to ignite the Tigers’ offense.

“We came ready to play today and the defense played an incredible game,” said Sfreddo, who will play lacrosse at the University of Virginia next season. “Holding a team to four goals is a huge accomplishment.”

Maggie Bacigalupo, a senior midfielder, tallied twice for SHG, which held the advantage in possession time en route to notching its ninth consecutive victory. The Tigers held a 2-1 edge after the first quarter, then went into halftime with a 7-1 lead.

“The first quarter we didn’t come out so strong, we did not have possession to start the game, but we came up with a couple of big stops on defense, which was good and in the second quarter we got the momentum, which was great,” Sacred Heart Greenwich co-head coach Sharon Robinson said. “The girls settled into the game and played their game plan.”

With the triumph against their main rival, Sacred Heart improved its record to 9-1, going into today’s road game against Agnes Irwin School. For Greenwich Academy, junior attack Anniston Mahaffy scored two goals, while senior attack Dylan Casazza totaled one goal and one assist.

“We got the draw in the first quarter and we executed and played smart,” GA coach Halley Quillinan Griggs said. “To hold a team like that to two goals in the first quarter, we held them to one goal in the first quarter, is impressive. Unfortunately, we couldn’t string together momentum throughout, but I think there’s a lot of bright spots in our effort. Our defense played outstanding.”

Casazza, who will continue her lacrosse career at Princeton University next season, gave the Gators a 1-0 lead with a goal early in the first quarter. Driving hard to the goal, Sfreddo tied the score at 1-1, tallying from close range in transition with 1:12 remaining in the opening quarter.

Sophomore Lily Lyons made several saves in the first quarter to help keep the Gators ahead by a goal, then tied with the Tigers. Late in the opening quarter, Maggie Bacigalupo went low with her shot, directing it past Lyons and giving SHG a 2-1 lead.

At the 10:47 mark of the second quarter, Sfreddo converted an 8-meter shot, then Charley Bacigalupo followed with a tally, putting the visiting Tigers on top, 4-1 with 8:39 to go in the second stanza.

Junior midfielder Daphne Fallon nicely passed the ball to Maggie Bacigalupo, who finished in front for a goal, making it 5-1, then Robinson tallied off a pass from senior attack Wowie Walker, giving Sacred Heart a five-goal lead with 2:27 left in the second quarter.

“It was such a fun game,” said Kaitlin Robinson, who will bring her lacrosse skills to Duke University. “These are always my favorite games I look forward to this game all year, so getting to play this game is a privilege and great opportunity.”

Charley Bacigalupo capped the Tigers’ second quarter scoring, posting a goal off a pass from sophomore midfielder Georgia Lillis, putting SHG ahead, 7-1.

“Once we saw that things were working, we made sure to keep doing that,” Kaitlin Robinson noted. “We made sure to push the fastbreak if we had it. If not, settle it and do what we know.”

Meanwhile, the Gators didn’t have too many scoring opportunities to in the first half, since the Tigers had the ball more.

“They had the ball, that’s been the story of our season,” Quillinan Griggs said. “We’re a bit of a work in progress on the draw circle. We have tremendous athletes and draw takers, but the ball hasn’t been bouncing our way in these games. They got the ball and when you get the ball, you usually win the game.”

Charley and Maggie Bacigalupo and Sfreddo each scored two goals during the first half for the victors.

“Everyone came locked in with intensity, with heart and it really proved itself today with the score and the spirit we had after the game,” Sfreddo said.

Trailing 8-1, GA scored two straight goals – both by Mahaffy, to close to within 8-3, following the third quarter – yet SHG opened the fourth quarter with three straight goals to seize a commanding 11-3 advantage.

Robinson scored two of the three goals, while Charley Bacigalupo converted a shot during the three-goal, fourth quarter run.

The Tigers’ defensive play was sensational throughout. Senior Olivia Leahy helped lead Sacred Heart Greenwich’s group of defenders in front of goalies Addyson Flinchbaugh and Olivia Franco. Flinchbaugh, a sophomore made three saves, as did Franco, a freshman.

“It was great, all over the field, I think our defense really stepped up today as well as our offense,” said Leahy, who will play lacrosse at Stanford next year. “It was a great game and we really held our own.”

Indeed, the Tigers’ defenders took pride in limiting Greenwich Academy to four goals.

“GA is always a mental battle and I think today we overcame that mental battle and made it about who was the better team out there,” Leahy said. “Holding them to four goals is very satisfying. Credit to our goalies, our middies and all the defenders as well.”

Junior Caroline Watts had a goal for the Gators, who received 12 saves from Lyons, who saw shots at all angles throughout this matchup.

“To not only come up with 12 saves, but to come up with 12 saves against a team that is that talented offensively – they have some high percentage shooters – she was dialed in today,” Quillinan Griggs noted. “She (Lyons) is getting better every game, so it’s been really nice to see her find success and credit to our defense. When we play the type of zone we play, we’re forcing them to low angles and we’re giving Lily the best chance possible to make a save.”

Sfreddo came up with six draw controls, Charley Bacigalupo had three draw controls, junior defender/midfielder Madison Hartnett tallied three draw controls and Maggie Bacigalupo had two in the winning effort.

“Everyone came locked in with intensity, with heart and it really proved itself today with the score and the spirit we had after the game,” Sfreddo noted. “Holding them to four goals was a testament to our defense and also our ability to make plays in transition and on defense and transition into offense.”

Sacred Heart’s record is 9-2 following today’s 10-5 loss to Agnes Irwin. The loss snapped the squad’s nine-game winning streak. The Tigers hope to get right back on the winning track when it travels to Chatham High School on Monday.

Greenwich Academy has an overall record of 6-2 and is 5-0 in its return to the FAA this spring. GA is in action again tomorrow against St. Dominic’s at Cold Spring Harbor High School in the Gains for Brains Tournament.

“We’re excited to get back out there,” Quillinan Griggs said. “I told the girls after the game that I thought there were a lot of bright spots in this game and obviously, some things that we’re excited to work on. We’re halfway through our season, there’s a lot of lacrosse left to be played. This was a special team that we played, they’re one of the top teams in the country and I’m proud of our fight.”

Sacred Heart’s Varsity A squad entered the week ranked No. 11 in the USA Lacrosse High School Girls’ National Top 25 poll. The Tigers were victorious against the Gators when the Varsity A squads met in 2023, 12-7.

“The defense played awesome,” Sharon Robinson said of her squad. “They came up big and forced turnovers. The second and fourth quarter were much stronger than the first and third. Our goal is to play a full 48 minutes and we came close to it today, but Greenwich Academy played tight and they played a tough game.”