AGAWAM – It was a chilly afternoon for opening day high school girls lacrosse action yesterday and an afternoon that the Lady Bombers of Westfield High School would like to put out of their memory, immediately if not sooner.
In an 18-4 final score, Westfield began the season with a resounding defeat at the hands of a vastly more experienced Agawam side. From the opening moments of the contest it was clear to all the assembled spectators that Westfield was in for a rough afternoon.
The Bombers refused to roll over, however, notching two goals in the opening period of action from MaKenzie Millikan and Ashlee Owen, and were aided by the stout play of Victoria Whalen, whose passing and stick work were able to keep the Bombers on the attack.
Agawam proved too much, however, for a Westfield side that has been practicing in a parking lot for the past few days and finds itself on the low end of the experience spectrum, an issue the Brownies are not facing this season.
As the clock ran down on the second period, the Bombers were able to poke in two more goals from Mary Boudreau and Rachel Gelina. However, despite his team’s humbling opening day defeat, Bomber head coach Paul Fenwick was positive about his team’s performance.
“We had four different scorers today,” Coach Fenwick said, “which is a good indicator that we will have a balanced scoring attack this season. Obviously, we’ve lost alot of veteran experience from last year, I mean, we have a Goalie (Maileen Kozack) who is just starting to play the sport, but I feel we can improve alot of the course of the year.”
In regards to the team’s struggles on Agawam’s field yesterday, Fenwick explained that the team’s adjustment to lined grass made this opening day matchup even more challenging.
“This was our first experience with a lined field so far this year, so that presented a major challenge for us today, especially for our young players who are getting their first real exposure to varsity competition,” said Fenwick. “We’re just looking to move up from here and get better every day.”
The Lady Bombers will take the field again on Monday when the Panthers of Springfield’s Cathedral High School will pay Westfield a visit for a 4:00 p.m. matchup.
