Cardinals girls lacrosse team topples Brien McMahon in first round of CIAC Class LL tourney; GHS visits Conard in quarters

By David Fierro on June 4, 2026 • ( Leave a comment )

**Photo by David Fierro:** Greenwich High School senior captain Giselle DiPietro (No. 7) looks to pass or make a move with the ball during the opening round of the CIAC Class LL Girls Lacrosse Tournament against Brien McMahon at Cardinal Stadium. DiPietro recorded a hat trick in Greenwich’s 18-3 victory over McMahon on June 2, 2026.

As the minutes passed by in the first quarter, the goals mounted for Greenwich High’s varsity girls lacrosse team in its CIAC Class LL Tournament opening-round game against Brien McMahon.

And by the time the first quarter concluded, the Cardinals scored nine goals and were soaring to the tournament’s quarterfinals.

Senior Dillon McFerron scored four goals, while senior Giselle DiPietro and junior Claire Campinell each recorded hat tricks for fifth-seeded Greenwich in its highly impressive 18-3 win over No. 12 Brien McMahon in the first round of the CIAC Class LL Tournament at Cardinal Stadium on June 2.

The Cardinals will face fourth-seeded Conard in the CIAC Class LL quarterfinals tomorrow (June 5) on the road. The state quarterfinal-round matchup is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. at Conard, which advanced to the quarterfinals with a 17-1 victory over No. 13 Shelton in the first round.

**Photo by David Fierro**: Greenwich High School’s Claire Campinell, right, sprints down the sideline with the ball while being pursued by Victoria Wong of Brien McMahon (No. 8) during the first round of the CIAC Class LL Girls Lacrosse Tournament. Campinell recorded a hat trick in the Cardinals’ 18-3 home victory.

The Greenwich-Conard winner plays the Darien-Staples victor in the Class LL semifinals on June 9 at a site to be determined. Darien, the No. 1-seed in the Class LL tourney, received a first-round bye, while eighth-seeded Staples topped Trumbull, 14-2, in the opening round.

Against Brien McMahon, Greenwich bolted out to a 9-0 first quarter lead and never looked back. The Cardinals dominated possession in the opening quarter, effectively moved the ball and capitalized on the solid shots on goal they generated.

“In the first quarter we made it really clear that we wanted to have a really fast start,” said Greenwich senior captain Sophia DiPietro, who registered one goal and one assist. “We wanted to get everyone moving and do what we usually do.”

**Photo by David Fierro:** Jolie Vazquez of Greenwich runs down the sideline with the ball during the Cardinals’ opening round game against visiting Brien McMahon in the Class LL state tournament on June 2, 2026. GHS won, 18-3.

Giselle DiPietro, also a senior captain, opened the scoring, converting a free position shot 59 seconds into the first quarter. Campinell scored at the 10:13 mark and McFerran tallied off a dodge, giving GHS a 3-0 lead with 9:30 remaining in the first quarter.

Getting past the Senators’ defense in transition, Giselle DiPietro went top shelf with her shot, making it 4-0 in favor of the Cardinals with 8:22 to go in the opening quarter. This matchup marked the final home game of the season for the Cards.

“It’s sad it’s our last game, but it was a good way to go out, a big win,” Giselle DiPietro said. “We tried to practice for Conard to know what we need to do best on.”

**Photo by David Fierro:** Dillon McFerran (No. 8) and Sophia DiPietro (No. 8) of Greenwich surround Gabrielle Morin of Brien McMahon during a varsity lacrosse game on June 2, 2026, at Cardinal Stadium. GHS won the state tourney game, 18-3.

McFerran shot low and scored, then added another goal, putting the hosts in front, 6-0, with 5:59 still left in the first quarter. Later in the quarter, Sophia DiPietro capped the Cards’ scoring, putting McMahon in a 9-0 hole with 15.6 seconds remaining.

Sophia DiPietro, Campinell and sophomore Mary Kate O’Connor were among some of Greenwich’s goal scorers in the second quarter. Greenwich led 12-0 before the Senators scored a goal and entered halftime with a 13-1 advantage.

Campinell had four draw controls, McFerran won two draws, Giselle DiPietro totaled four draw controls and junior Annabelle DeGennaro also had four in the winning effort. Greenwich (9-10) lost to its next opponent, Conard, 12-7, on May 19.

**Photo by David Fierro:** Greenwich’s varsity girls lacrosse team hosted Brien McMahon in the first round of the CIAC Class LL Tournament and won, 18-3. The Cardinals visit Conard High School on June 5 in the quarterfinals.

“We had a close game with them and we never really played them before,” Sophia DiPietro noted. ‘They won a bunch of draws, so it was really good today that we did really well with the draws.”

Said Giselle DiPietro: “We tried to practice for Conard to know what we need to do best on. We tried to get everyone a goal, because we want everyone to know what they can do and get better and that’s what we did.”

Senior captain Lindsay Messer tallied one goal and two assists, sophomore Georgia Sessa had one goal, Mary Kate O’Connor, a sophomore scored twice and Livia Binick, a sophomore and Lyla Salvatore, also a sophomore notched a goal for the victorious Cardinals (9-10).

**Picture by David Fierro**: Giselle DiPietro, left and Lily Nogaki of Greenwich pursue Victoria Wong of Brien McMahon.

Junior Finley DeGennaro started in goal for GHS and played in the first half, effectively rotating with junior Charlotte Marek, who played in the second half for the victors.

Sophomore Gabrielle Morin led McMahon’s offense. The Cardinals know what they need to do in order to be successful against Conard.

“Moving the ball and continuing to do what we do best and playing to each other’s strength,” McFerran noted. “Working hard on the draw and everywhere on the field and staying positive and playing to each other’s strength.”

Picture by David Fierro: Giselle DiPietro, a senior captain, gathers a ground ball for the Cardinals’ varsity lacrosse team.

McFerran also shared her thoughts on her final season playing for the Cardinals.

“It’s been really fun and as the year has progressed, we’ve gotten really close as a team, which has contributed to our success,” she said.

Said Sophie DiPietro of the Cards’ final home game of their 2026 campaign: “It’s really sad, but I’m really happy that it was such a good game and happy we’re having such a good season.”