Greenwich Academy’s Varsity A lacrosse team reigned in the rain when it hosted Greens Farms Academy in the championship game of the FAA Tournament on May 14.

The Gators, who won the 2024 FAA Lacrosse Tournament title, continued their reign of supremacy in a championship matchup played in rainy, damp weather conditions at Tammaro Field.

Limiting third-seeded Greens Farms Academy to one goal in the first half, top-seeded Greenwich Academy built a four-goal lead, then held off the Dragons in the second half to repeat as league champions. GA topped School of the Holy Child for the FAA title one season ago.

Senior attack Katie Barr recorded four goals with two assists to help propel GA past GFA, 7-4, in the title game of the FAA Tournament. The championship win capped an outstanding 13-3 season for the Gators’ Varsity A squad, coached by Tee Ladouceur, who concluded her first season at the helm.

“The rain came into play in this game, but I knew from the beginning we beat them before and we knew we had the hustle, the fight in this game, so we just had to have each other’s backs the entire game,” said Barr, one of GA’s captains who will continue her lacrosse career at Dartmouth College. “It feels really good, it’s a good way to end my lacrosse career at GA and I think it was a full team effort today.”

Freshman midfielder Maddie Lane, senior attack Chloe Cook and junior midfielder Leighton Collier scored one goal apiece for Greenwich Academy, which held a 5-1 halftime lead on Greens Farms Academy.

The FAA Tournament’s title game was originally scheduled for May 15, but GA agreed to have the game moved up to May 14 to accommodate GFA, which had its school prom on the 14th. That meant both squads played back-to-back days, as the Gators defeated School of the Holy Child, 11-1, in the FAA semifinals on May 13 and the Dragons edged second-seeded Greenwich Country Day School 8-7, in the semis on the 13th. However, playing games in back-to-back days is an aspect GA became accustomed to this spring.

“We have been playing back-to-back days for some of the season, so I feel like our group is easily able to adapt,” Ladouceur said. “We talk about adapting and improvising and being able to focus on ourselves no matter what is on the other side of the field.”

The weather in this intense title tilt challenged both the Gators and Dragons on both ends of the field.

“Rain can always be the great equalizer in lacrosse,” Ladouceur noted. “The ball is going to skip, our field is pretty slick. After every quarter and stoppage of play, we talked about the rain not being a factor for us. We were making sure that we had each other’s backs and we were just trying to make sure that we weren’t going to let another team in the game just because there’s rain.”

“The weather adds to the intensity and I always like the rain,” said GA senior defender/captain Lila Volpe, who helped anchor GA’s defensive effort and will play at Villanova University next season. “Them coming back in the third made it really intense for us and I just think we really wanted it more.”

For the season, Greenwich Academy posted a perfect record of 8-0 in the Fairchester Athletic Association, with its victory against Greens Farms putting the cherry on the sundae.

“They gave us a good fight, it was really awesome that we got the result that we wanted,” said GA senior midfielder/defender Ruby Montanez, one of the team’s captains, who is going to play lacrosse at the University of California, Davis next season. “It’s a really rewarding way for me to end my career here at GA.”

Livia Orenstein, Lydia San Jose, Zoe LaFerriere and Allegra Paquette each had one goal for Greens Farms (5-3 FAA).

“I’m super proud of them,” GFA coach Ciara Thurlow said of her squad. “Our team played with heart, hustle, determination and grit. I’m super proud of how they kept fighting until the very end.”

The hosts took the lead for good at 2-1, then extended it to 3-1 shortly after Montanez gathered a ground ball, giving the team possession. Barr converted a shot from close in, giving GA its third goal. Catching a pass sent from behind the net from senior attack Chloe Cook, Barr caught the ball and quickly snapped a shot past the Dragons’ goalie, making it 4-1 in favor of Greenwich Academy with 1:46 remaining in the second quarter.

Lane’s goal with less than a minute to play in the second period, put GA on top at halftime, 5-1.

“They came out pretty strong, we matched their energy as the game went on and I’m really glad we pulled it out,” Cook said.

“I knew that our team had it in us, it was just taking a little longer for us to find it,” Montanez added. “Once we found it, we got that lead again.”

The Dragons scored the lone goal in the third quarter, as LaFerriere tallied at the 8:14 mark of the quarter, cutting GA’s advantage to 5-2. The fourth quarter began with Greens Farms scoring two straight goals to close to within 5-4.

GFA’s second goal of the final quarter came with 10:23 left to play, but that’s the last goal GA allowed. Senior goalie Persia Shipman produced another standout game in net for the victors, making five saves for the game.

With less than 4:30 remaining in the fourth quarter and Greenwich Academy clinging to a one-goal edge, Shipman made a key save, keeping the hosts in front.

“I was just focused, watching the shooter’s shoulders and I was focused on the ball,” Shipman said of her save late in the fourth quarter.

Volpe, senior Lila Cabot, sophomore Niamh Cooney, junior Reese Quinn, Montanez and junior Ellie Watts were among some of the athletes that paced GA’s defensive play.

“The defense played well, we started off with a backer and we ended with man,” Shipman said. “They were hustling out there – all the seniors really wanted that win, they had that drive. I think that’s what kept us going throughout the game. That’s what kept me going too, everyone had each other’s backs. Coach talks about that a lot. I think that’s the best game they (the defense) played all season. All the seniors really wanted it.”

Indeed, Ladouceur appreciated the performance the defense turned in.

“We threw in a backer defense for part of the game, we haven’t done a backer defense pretty much all season,” Ladouceur noted. “The girls were able to adapt.” 

Barr gave the home team some breathing room. Her goal with 2:25 to go in the final quarter gave GA a 6-4 lead. She then converted an 8-meter shot fouling a GFA foul, making it 7-4 with 22 seconds remaining.

Though GFA had solid possessions late in the final quarter, it couldn’t tally the equalizer and GA ultimately, added on to its lead.

“It’s more about just working together as a team to reach your goal and making it the pinnacle of our season,” Cabot said. “We really played as a unit. Everyone stepped up and did what was needed and even more and played their hearts out.”

Thurlow knew her squad gave its optimum effort against a championship Greenwich Academy team.

“We obviously, went up against a formidable opponent,” she said. “Greenwich Academy is the powerhouse team in the FAA, so we’re super proud to go up against them and I thought that we had a really good battle.”

Said Ladouceur: “It was a wet one and GFA gave us a really good run for our money. They played with a lot of heart and a lot of spirit. But I’m really proud of our group for being able to come out on top. They have this cheer, “she who has the will to win cannot be beat.” It’s posted on our walls, they say it before every game and I feel like they vibed with that message today on the field. It was really cool to see them pull it off.”

For the senior members of the team, what better way is there to conclude a high school career than to do so by winning a championship?

“It’s super exciting, the past four years have so much fun,” Cook said. “This was a good last game to get the championship win. Being a part of this team, it’s been awesome – everything I could have asked for. Ever since freshman year it’s been the best. The team is like a family.”

“Coming away with the trophy and also having an incredible season with incredible people made this such a great season,” Cabot said. “I’ve made such close relationships with my teammates that will last forever.”

Volpe reflected on the championship win and her final game as a member GA’s lacrosse team.

“It’s really emotional,” he said. “I spent four years on varsity and with all these girls you become a family, so it’s the best way to finish.”

Photos by David Fierro: From left to right, Katie Barr, Ruby Montanez and Lila Volpe were each senior captains of the Greenwich Academy Varsity A lacrosse team, which won the FAA Tournament championship.

To the left, Greenwich Academy’s Eliza DeChristopher on defeense. To the right, GA starting goalie Persia Shipman.

Photos by Antonio Monteiro: To the left, Niamh Cooney of GA in action. To the right, Ruby Montanez of GA on the move.

For even more pictures of the Greenwich Academy-Greens Farms Academy FAA final, click on the following link https://www.06878photography.com/lacrosse—greenwich-academy-varsity-girls-vs-greens-farms-academy-varsity-girls-at-greenwich-academ