Tied with Hotchkiss School at halftime, Greenwich Academy’s Varsity A lacrosse team received exactly the type of second half it was hoping for in its regular season finale.

After the Bearcats came back to even the score after the first half of action, the second half belonged to the Gators and the result was an impressive win for the hosts.

Sophomore midfielder Delaney Enright recorded a hat trick, senior attack Chloe Cook scored two goals and junior midfielder Ellie Watts tallied twice to help lead Greenwich Academy past Hotchkiss, 12-7, at Tammaro Field on May 10. With the win, GA concluded its regular season with a strong record of 10-3. Coached by Tee Ladouceur, the Gators will next compete in the Fairchester Athletic Association Lacrosse Tournament.

Greenwich Academy is 6-0 in the FAA and is seeded No. 1 in the four-team tournament. The Gators will host fourth-seeded School of the Holy Child in the FAA Tournament semifinals on May 13. GA won the FAA Tournament title in 2024 after not competing in the league for several seasons.

Against Hotchkiss School on May 10, senior attack/captain Katie Barr registered one goal and one assist, while senior midfielder/captain Ruby Montanez also notched one goal and one assist for the victors. Junior midfielder Leighton Collier, sophomore midfielder/defender Niamh Cooney and senior defender/captain Lila Volpe added one goal apiece for GA, which started the game strong, then seized control of the matchup in the third quarter.

Freshman midfielder Maddie Lane helped GA gain valuable possessions by posting eight draw controls. Barr had two draw controls, while Montanez and Cooney each had one draw control to help ignite the winning effort.

Persia Shipman, a senior, performed well in goal once again for Greenwich Academy, tallying seven saves, several of which were off well-placed Hotchkiss shots.

Cook scored the game’s first goal, giving the Gators a 1-0 lead off a free position attempt with 8:30 remaining in the opening quarter. Cooney shot low and scored, making it 2-0 in favor of GA at the 7:36 mark of the first quarter.

Taking the ball all the way down the field, Volpe tallied in transition, putting Greenwich Academy on top of Hotchkiss, 3-0, with 3:18 left in the first quarter. Collier capped GA’s stellar opening quarter by converting a shot with 23 seconds to go, giving the hosts a 4-0 advantage.

The Bearcats, who too are having a successful season with a record of 10-2, scored two straight goals to close to within 4-2. Dodging her way toward the goal, Montanez shot low and scored, putting GA ahead, 5-2, at the 7:37 mark of the second period.

Hotchkiss went on a 3-0 run to end the second quarter, forcing a 5-5 tie going into halftime. Causing a turnover, Montanez gathered the ball and sent a pass to Ellie Watts, who proceeded to score giving GA the lead for good at 6-5 1:05 into the third quarter.

Enright then went on a scoring surge for the home team. She scored with 7:37 to go in the third quarter, then after Lane won the ensuing draw, Enright converted another shot, making it 8-5 GA just 30 seconds later.

After a Hotchkiss goal, Enright achieved her hat trick, tallying again with 4:19 left in the third period, putting GA on top, 9-6.

In one of the best plays of the game for Greenwich Academy, junior defender Reese Quinn scooped up a ground ball, made a pass to Montanez, who quickly moved the ball to Cook, who was cutting to the net, for a goal, giving the Gators a four-goal edge at 10-6 with 1:44 to go in the third quarter.

Volpe, senior Lila Cabot, Cooney, Quinn and sophomore Abby Iles were among some of the athletes that proved exceptional defensive play in front of Shipman in goal for Greenwich Academy, which held the possession advantage on the Bearcats, especially in the second half.

“It was a great team win and such an exciting way to close out our regular season,” Ladouceur said. “One of the things that stood out most was how many different players contributed – we had seven of our 12 goals scored by girls who are returning next year. Even one defender, Lila Volpe, which was a fun moment for the team.

“We’ve spent a lot of time this season focusing on our own growth and trying to bring the things we’ve been working on in practice into our games,” Ladouceur continued. “Hotchkiss is a strong team and when they tied it up late in the first half, I considered calling a timeout, but I trusted our group to work through the adversity. At halftime, we talked about resetting, refocusing on ourselves and regaining our energy and momentum. I’m really proud of how the girls responded and how far they’ve come.”

“From our first scrimmage less than two months ago to now, we have grown so much and it’s cool to see,” Ladouceur added. “It’s always great to get a win like that on your home field.”