With talent, depth and experience at attack, in the midfield and on defense, Sacred Heart Greenwich’s Varsity A lacrosse team indeed, has the components in place to experience another sparkling spring season.

The Tigers, traditionally one of the premier teams in the state and region, seem primed to play the many formidable foes they will face this season. Sacred Heart’s Varsity A squad had already competed against American Heritage, William Penn Charter and Oak Knoll School, all ranked among USA Lacrosse High School Girls’ National Top 25 Rankings and on April 10th at Rutgers University, SHG tested its skills against Episcopal Academy, the No. 6-ranked team in the nation.

In a thriller, Sacred Heart Greenwich edged Episcopal Academy at Rutgers, 9-7, for its most significant win of the season to date. Overall, the Tigers have a record of 3-3 and seem ready to go on a winning streak, especially after topping Episcopal Academy. Prior to playing Episcopal Academy, Sacred Heart was victorious against visiting Westminster School in convincing fashion, 17-2. The Tigers flourished on both ends of the field, took an 8-0 lead on Westminster into halftime and never looked back.

“I feel like five games into the season, we’ve really got the routine down, we’re really in it, we’re locked in,” Sacred Heart senior defender/captain Casey Smith said following the Tigers home triumph versus Westminster. “So far, it’s been great, but we could always do better for the rest of the games.”

Senior Mackenna Kelly serves as captain of the Tigers’ Varsity A squad as well. She anchors the defense, along with Smith, senior Torin Witek, senior Scarlett Pfistener and junior Addison Callaway and several other standout athletes.

“We’re all returners for the most part, so we’ve been playing together for a while now, so it’s easy to adjust to certain things,” Kelly said of the Tigers’ defense. “That definitely helps communication wise, but we’ve been strong on the defensive end so far.”

Sacred Heart’s other victories on the young season include a 15-3 triumph over School of the Holy Child and of course, its 9-7 win against Episcopal.

“Although we started the season with three losses, all were against top nationally ranked programs,” Sacred Heart Varsity A head coach Jackie Goldmann said. “With many new players on the roster, the girls have shown amazing focus and work ethic, staying hungry and committed every day. Our goal remains to continue improving as a team with each practice and game.”

Against Westminster on a chilly, sunny day, freshman attack Micayla DeVeau celebrated her 15th birthday by scoring a game-high five goals to power the Tigers’ offense.

“It was a lot of fun playing Westminster, having a fun time with the team and just bonding and getting better,” DeVeau said. “Just the team working together, moving the ball quickly and having our head up and looking for the people in the middle really helped us score our goals.”

Junior Haley Washall recorded a hat trick, while Peyla Carcaterra, a sophomore attack and sophomore attack Sasha Mollett scored two goals apiece for the Tigers.

Pfistner had one goal and one assist, senior midfielder Georgia Lillis added one goal, as did freshman attack Sara Pastula, Riley Driscoll, an eighth grader and junior attack Elin Eaton for SHG in its decisive triumph versus Westminster. Junior midfielder Maggie Sweeney assisted on a goal for the Tigers, who received seven draw controls from freshman attack Lily Sullivan and two from Pfistener.

“Our attack and midfield mix returning experience with immediate-impact newcomers,” Goldmann said. “Returners Peyla Carcaterra, Sasha Mollett, Ryan Hodge, Georgia Lillis and Maggie Sweeney bring leadership, while Micayla DeVeau and Haley Washall have quickly made their mark.”

Junior Oliva Franco got the start in goal for SHG against Westminster and had one save, while sophomore Ella Bacallao also saw action and made two saves. Addyson Flinchbaugh, a senior, has also seen plenty of action as the Tigers’ goalie, a position of strength for the squad.

“We are fortunate to have three talented goalies,” Goldmann noted. “All three goalies work exceptionally well together and have performed strongly so far this season.”

Generating goals and scoring opportunities shouldn’t be a problem for the Tigers, who have numerous athletes on attack and in the midfield capable of making key plays on offense. That was certainly the case in Sacred Heart’s victories versus Westminster and nationally-ranked Episcopal Academy.

“We did a pretty good job with our attacking lines, I also think on defense we also tried a few things,” Smith said after the Westminster win. “We finished and followed through with our game today.”

Captains Kelly and Smith are providing excellent leadership to the team, along with the other seniors.

“Being a captain is great,” Kelly noted. “It’s so great with all of my great teammates and coaches. Having Casey be my co-captain is nice. But everyone is here to help each other. So, even though I am a captain, it’s a title and everyone is here to support each other.”

Competing as one of the freshman athletes on the Tigers is highly enjoyable to DeVeau.

“It’s amazing, the team is really nice and welcoming and it was an easy transition into the team coming from a different school,” DeVeau said.

Some notable games ahead for Sacred Heart include a matchup against longtime neighborhood rival Greenwich Academy (April 22nd at Greenwich Academy), a game against nationally ranked Good Counsel from Maryland at Towson University (April 24th), Notre Dame Academy (away, April 25th), Phillips Exeter Academy (at Worcester Academy, May 2) and match at Darien on May 5th.

“We’re definitely excited to play GA and Darien,” Kelly said. “They are both great games that are always super high and really competitive. We have a bunch of strong games coming up in the future, so finishing strong and getting better every day at practice and at games is definitely important.”

“The girls continue to stay focused and compete at the highest level, and with a slate of more competitive games ahead, we’re eager to keep proving why Sacred Heart Greenwich is a top program,” Goldmann said.

Here are some more pictures from Sacred Heart’s home victory vs. Westminster.