NORTHAMPTON — The No. 6 Northampton Blue Devils will advance to the next round of Central-West Division 1 girls’ lacrosse tournament play after beating Westfield, the 11th seed, 20–10 on Wednesday.
Northampton (12-7) came out on top, 18–7, when the two teams met earlier this season April 18.
“We knew what to expect coming in, but knowing it and being able to handle it are two different things,” said Westfield coach Paul Fenwick.
Northampton got off to a quick start, earning a 5–1 lead in the first five minutes of the game. Heading into halftime, Westfield (9-9) faced a 14–4 deficit.
The Blue Devils were “very good at the draw,” Fenwick said.
Northampton won 19 draws to Westfield’s 11 throughout the course of the game.
“They dominated the draw. … There’s a real correlation: win the draw, win possession,” Fenwick. “There were times we didn’t even see the ball because they won the draw, so they’re very good at that, and it’s something we have to work on to get better at.”
Northampton’s control of the ball and quick, aggressive offense contributed to their influence throughout the game, earning them 20 goals despite the work of Westfield goalies Lexie Levere and Yvonne Headley, who had eight and seven saves, respectively.
Northampton’s “free-form” offense allows many players to contribute offensively, according to coach Emily Hopkins.
“It works really well for us, because I think we have a lot of girls who can really contribute, whether it’s off an assist or off a drive themselves or off a catch-and-shoot, and I think they showed that today,” she said.
Nine players earned goals for Northampton, including sophomore Abby Baldwin, who led the game in goals with five. Senior Sophie Melcher contributed six points (three goals, three assists) for the Devils.
“I had a bunch of different girls score,” Hopkins said, “so it works for us that they figure out where the defense is and where the gaps are, and then they can just capitalize on that, honestly, without too much coaching.”
On the other side, Hannah Jarvis, Rachel Gelina and Olivia Chaoush each scored three goals for the Bombers.
“I knew that they (Westfield) were coming off making the tournament, and coming off a pretty strong end of their season, so I was ready for them to come out and really bring it to us,” Hopkins said. “I think we did a good job keeping our heads and making sure that didn’t get too far into our heads at the beginning of the game.”
Though Westfield’s season ended with a loss Wednesday, “I saw a lot to build on and where we need to go,” Fenwick said. “They (Northampton) are a very good team, and I wish them the best.”
Moving forward, Northampton will face Agawam in the quarterfinals at School Street Park in Agawam at 4 p.m.
Agawam had a bye in the first round and won against Northampton twice during the regular season, handing the Blue Devils an 8–7 loss in their first meeting in April and beating them 13–6 early last month.
“The first game was really an incredible game for us, and then the second game we kind of let it get away from us and they came back even stronger than before,” said Hopkins. In that second game, only three players — Baldwin, Melcher and senior Morgan Moffet — earned points for Northampton.
Facing Agawam in the next round, Hopkins will focus on her team’s “mental game,” she said. “I think tactically, if we decide to show up, we can give them a run with what we’re able to do. But we have to come in believing that we can give them a run.”