The Lady Conchs lacrosse team evened out their record last week thanks to a pair of close wins. The first came on March 6 at Palmer, where the Lady Conchs beat the Falcons 9-7. Three athletes were unable to travel and two more were sidelined with injuries, making the Conch bench sparse with just three subs, including two field players and a goalie.
“We knew going in that Palmer was going to be a tough game. We needed to come out of the gates at full speed, while also being patient and deliberate with every possession so as to not tire ourselves out and get into a sprinting competition, and that we did,” said Conchs coach Marissa Giacopuzzi. “We were settled and valued possession, we worked hard for caused turnovers and shut down Palmerʼs offense.”
Kaitlyn Piloto scored four goals and Deanna Mercer added three plus an assist in the win. In goal, Courtney Grabus came up big with a whopping 17 saves. The win, Giacopuzzi said, helped boost the team’s confidence after a three-game slump.
The Conchs lost Mercer for the next matchup. The senior standout suffered an injury in the Palmer game, leaving the Conchs shorthanded again when they traveled to Gulliver Prep. Piloto took charge and scored three goals plus an assist, and Colbie Turner netted four.
“It was time for everyone to step up and take ownership of their position and get to work, collectively,” said Giacopuzzi, whose team did just that. In a back-and-forth game, the Conchs found themselves trailing 9-8 with the clock ticking down. That’s when Turner tied it up with a free position goal with 3:57 remaining. Mavis Bishop added the winning goal 14 seconds later, and the Conchs played keep-away as the clock ticked down.
Eisley Whitehead picked up four ground balls and was credited with a caused turnover and an assist. Grabus had another eight saves in the 10-9 win and Olivia Moore, who shares time in goal, had two. The wins put the Lady Conchs at 4-4 with just under one month to go in the regular season.
Coral Shores, still on the lookout for their first win this season, suffered two losses last week, falling to Westminster Christian Mar. 4, then to Miami Country Day two days later.
