SOUTH HADLEY — The Belchertown girls lacrosse team bounced back after its five-game winning streak was snapped last week, taking home a 10-5, road victory over South Hadley on Monday night.
Getting out to a hot start was a major key for the Orioles in the win, jumping out to an early 4-1 lead at the beginning of the second quarter. Playing with the lead allowed the squad to play its game and work the clock with no added pressure.
“They just continued to get better as the game went on, as opposed to when you play behind, sometimes you could be a little more nervous, a little more scared,” Belchertown head coach Jarrod Lemke said. “I thought they did a really good job just staying confident throughout the whole game.”
Two of the team’s first four goals came off the stick of Piper Laurenzo, one of which came just six seconds before the end of the first quarter. The freshman tallied one more in the fourth quarter to complete the hat trick.
Laurenzo just recently moved up to an attacking role, finding success generating offense as the season comes down the stretch. With the postseason looming, having a newfound spark on the attacking end is coming at the perfect time.
“[Laurenzo] was a massive reason why we were able to pick up the win [on Monday],” Lemke said. “For a freshman, for not necessarily her natural position, it’s unbelievable.”
The Tigers’ offense was equally consistent throughout the loss, scoring at least one goal in all four quarters of the night. Scoring opportunities came frequently on Monday, with a few close misses and big saves limiting the final tally on the scoreboard.
Lauren Montemagni led the way with a pair of goals for South Hadley, tallying one in the first quarter, and her other in the second.
“[Montemagni’s] so great,” Tigers’ head coach Kelly Gearin said. ”She takes it hard to the net every time, and has a rip of a shot, so we can always count on her to support people’s games.”
The Orioles continued to add on throughout the remainder of the night while maintaining the lead, led by Lia Pikul and Aubrey McCain, who each tallied two goals in the win.
With consistent scoring against them, South Hadley struggled to shrink the deficit. The Tigers showed great fight despite the loss, proving that their young group has a bright future ahead of them.
“[We’re] just playing our hearts out,” Gearin said. “We’re looking for that effort, that 110% hustle on the field. I’d rather them make a mistake, but get it back, than make a mistake and not continue.”
The loss drops South Hadley to 4-10 on the year, looking to finish strong with two games left in the regular season. The first of the two comes on Tuesday, May 12, at 4 p.m. on the road against Southwick.
The win gives Belchertown its 11th of the season, now sitting at 11-5 and looking to stay hot heading into the postseason. The Orioles’ final game of the regular season is on Tuesday, May 12, at 4 p.m. at home against Pope Francis.
“[Monday was] probably the best we’ve played in, I would argue, all year, just in terms of top to bottom,” Lemke said. “No complaints from me.”
