The Cardinals, a team comprised of Greenwich High School players, put forth solid efforts in their first two games of the Girls High School Lacrosse National Championship, splitting the two matchups against their formidable foes.

In their opening game, the Cardinals posted an 8-5 win against Cold Spring Harbor from Long Island, N.Y. Emma Abbazia, a rising sophomore, powered the Cardinals from the attack position, tallying several goals. Midfielder Noey Johnson, a rising senior, paced the Cardinals with numerous draw controls and 2021 graduate Grace Collier, a midfielder, was a force throughout the field.

The Cardinals are being coached by Michelle Mason in the tournament, since CIAC rules state that high school coaches, can’t coach their teams during the summer/offseason. Mason is the head varsity lacrosse coach at Rye (N.Y.) High School.

The Girls High School National Championship, an invitational tournament, includes 39 teams from 10 states – Connecticut, New York, Delaware, Massachusetts, Oregon, Illinois, New Jersey, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. Each team is guaranteed to play four games, with the bracket winners advancing to single-elimination competition. One team will be awarded the National High School Champion on the final day of action.

“Overall, it was good day,” Mason said. “Emma Abbazia, she had three or four goals, Noey Johnson was dominant on the draw both in both games and Grace Collier was all over the field. In goal, Daryl Furno (rising junior) was standing on her head. She made some great saves.”

In their second game, the Cardinals were defeated by Loyola Academy from Maryland, 7-4.

“In the second game, we did some really nice things,” Mason said. “Our ride was strong, we were strong on the draw. Defensively, we were were a little taken aback by some of the 1-vs.-1 stuff. Offensively, we had some great chances, but their goalie made some nice saves. We were right there, it was tied at 3-3 and the game was close the whole time.”

Thursday, the Cardinals play Bronxville (N.Y.) and St. Paul’s – a private school from New Hampshire.

“We were relying on our upperclassmen and we are making sure this is a great experience for the girls,” Mason said. “Grace Collier and Delaney Roth are such good players and great leaders.”