Athletics

Game Summaries

Varsity Lacrosse, Spring 2008

EW 10 – Holy Names 11

The Jester’s 2008 season has officially begun. The team is being led by senior co-captains Hilary and Libby. We have 14 returning players from last year’s squad and two players that have moved up from junior varsity and three new to Emma Willard.

We opened up against our last year’s Sectional opponent, Holy Names. Holy Names took a 3-0 lead. We were winning the draw but not getting possession of the ball. It took us some time to settle into our game. As we got going, our passing got better. We had many good passing series going up the field. Our defense, Allie, Hye Lim, and Jenny, was pressuring hard and forcing turnovers. Sarah O, Crystal, Sarah, Caroline, and Libby were handling the connections through the midfield. On our attack, we started with Hilary, Noelle, and Caroline C. Sarah M and Libby scored and helped put us one behind Holy Names. Holy Names scored two more and went up 5-2. Sarah scored again and then Libby with two goals to tie the game 5-5 at 3:03 left in the half. Libby scored again as did Holy Names and we ended the half, tied 6-6.

During the second half, the game was continuing the same way. Holy Names went up two, and then Sarah M scored and put us one behind. Holy Names scored two more and put themselves ahead by three goals. We also had help off the bench from Hye Ji, Hannah, Anna, Lucy, and Bess to try to get us revved up again. We didn’t take long before we responded back. Crystal and Hye Ji each added a goal and put us behind by one with 2:52 on the clock. With 20 seconds left Holy Names scored and put them up by two. As the clock was counting down, we had time for one shot, and Libby scored with one second left. Final score 10-11. Eloise had 10 saves.

EW 15– Johnstown 4

A great thrill to play on turf and the players were excited to play. We took control of the game right from the starting draw. Libby scored our first goal in the first 46 seconds of the game. We controlled possession. Crystal, Libby, Caroline, and both Sarahs were doing a great job in midfield setting up passing series up the field. Our scoring was spread among six different players. Scoring for us first half were Libby, 2 goals, 3 assists; Sarah M, 2 goals; Bess, Caroline C, Crystal, and Noelle each a goal, and an assist for Sarah O. Libby and Sarah, especially, did well at seeing the open players up field. It was 9-0 at the end of the first half. Our passing and double teaming our opponents all over the field was the key to our success today. If Johnstown got near or in our defensive end, Hye Lim, Jenny, Allie, Caroline, Sarah, and Eloise shut them down and forced dropped passes. Sarah, Caroline, and Allie used their quickness and moved the ball up the field. A few of the players utilized switching hands to protect the ball. Great to see! All the players saw playing time today in one or several different positions. Freshman Melissa did quite well on our attack.

During the second half we continued to be in control. Five different people helped in the scoring—Bess, 2 goals; Caroline C, 1 goal; Hilary had 1 goal and 1 assist; Caroline M, 1 goal; and Anna J, 1 goal. Eloise saw more action in this half and made 9 saves. A nice team effort by the Jesters today.

EWS 13–Queensbury 7

The Jesters took advantage of an opportunity to play on the new turf field at RPI and ousted their opponent to improve to 2-1 on the season. While Emma managed to have the lead at half time, the team started off  the game slowly. The team needed to connect on their passes, pick up ground balls, and keep their feet moving on defense. While the Jesters jumped out to an early 2-goal lead led by Sarah M, Queensbury answered right back and picked up 3 unanswered goals. Queensbury was pressuring and double teaming the ball regularly, and this created havoc for the Jesters. Emma scored to take the lead at the 6:39 mark of the first half, but on the ensuing possession, Queensbury pressured the ball and forced a turnover. After an 8-meter foul was called, Queensbury managed to score on the direct shot. The game was tied. Queensbury controlled the next draw and went on the attack for five minutes. The Jesters defense dug in and, through communication and solid defensive play, held their opponent without a goal. On the turnover, Sarah M carried the ball across midfield, and created a play in which she was assisted by senior co-captain Libby. The Jesters left 16 seconds on the clock and ended the half with a 5-4 lead.

During halftime, Head Coach Liz Parry utilized positive reinforcement to help the Jesters secure their lead. Queensbury came out ready to play again in the second half and scored at 21:15 to tie the game. The rest of the half would go back and forth until the Jesters managed to pull away with 11 minutes remaining. Through solid defense, outstanding saves, and definitive passing and shooting, Emma managed a 3-goal lead. Seven Emma players managed a goal or more. Senior co-captains Libby and Hilary each added 2 goals, while contributing 2 and 1 assists, respectively. Junior Sarah M led all goal scorers with 5. Caroline M, Caroline C, Sarah O, and Crystal each added a goal. Junior goalie Eloise, celebrating her birthday, managed 14 saves and had many spectacular saves. On this day, the Jesters proved to be too much for a Queensbury team that came ready to win.

EWS 18–South Glens Falls 7

Fresh off their win yesterday against Queensbury, the Jesters took to their home grass field after two games on turf. The Jesters, although a bit sluggish in warm-up, were ready to play against South Glens Falls. Senior co-captain Libby controlled the draw by getting it to Crystal, who carried it into the offensive zone and then passed to senior co-captain Hilary, who scored. The Jesters would score the first 3 goals and not look back. Although South Glens Falls would pull the game to within 3, it would be the closest the game ever got. Each member of the team was seeing the field well and connecting on passes. The defense was playing well and only allowed 4 first half goals. Jenny was able to contain one of South Glens Falls’ top players for the entire second half. Libby led all scorers with 6 and added 1 assist. Hilary ended the game with 4 goals and 3 assists. Eloise finished the game with 17 saves and helped the defense stick together. Everyone eligible for the game saw playing time, and 9 Jesters contributed to the score. Melissa saw her first career varsity goal at the 22:51 mark of the second half on a pass from Anna. Allie contributed solid defensive play for the second straight game, and the entire midfield contained well. The Jesters improve to 3-1 on the season and travel to Albany Academy for Girls on Monday to face their rival.

EWS 5 – AAG 16

A tough time for the Jesters today. Throughout the first half, nothing was going right for us. We overthrew passes, dropped passes, and did not pick up ground balls. We could not hold onto possession. Albany took advantage of our mishaps and took a 4-0 lead within the first 10 minutes of the game. Along with our difficulties we also had good things happening. Defense was working well together and being patient. Crystal scored our first goal unassisted, and Libby scored on a pass from Crystal. On one of our defensive breakaways we were making great connecting passes, and Hilary gave a great pass to Bess, who finished it off with a goal. We ended the half down 9-3. Coach Parry during halftime pointed out that during the second half we needed to focus on better passing and catching and needed to be more aggressive on groundballs. To help focus the players Coach Parry had them throwing and catching and doing groundball pick- ups in shuttles before the start of second half. The other area that we lacked today was putting consistent pressure on the ball handlers as they was moved the ball down the field.

During the second half things got a little better. We still were missing the intensity in our midfield. Our defensive unit was patient throughout the game and was doing well at not allowing Academy to come straight to goal but rather forcing them to use plays. We kept Academy to 6 goals this half but we did not produce as much as we had hoped in our attacking end. We scored 3 goals in the second half. Caroline C scored from a great pass from Noelle O. Sarah M found the cage second half as well as Libby. Eloise had 12 saves for the day. 

EWS 18  – Schuylerville 7

In the heat of a late April afternoon the Jesters took to their home field and cruised to an 18-7 victory over Schuylerville. Emma, although sluggish during warm-up, managed to jump to a 9-goal lead in the first half and never looked back. Senior co-captain Libby opened the scoring with her first of two goals on the day. Senior co-captain Hilary scored 3 of the first 4 goals and had an assist on the other. She would end the game with 4 goals and 2 assists. The Jesters’ dominant play on the draw translated to a 12–1 halftime lead. However, the Schuylerville Lady Horses would not give up and would play the Jesters even in the second half.

The Lady Horses began the second half with two unanswered goals and battled to the last whistle. Head Coach Liz Parry tried different combinations of attack and defense players throughout the second half and every player saw time on the field. Crystal and Sarah M each contributed 2 goals and 2 assists, while Caroline C netted 3 goals. Junior Bess would had 4 goals, 2 assisted and 2 unassisted. Sarah O contributed a goal, and Anna, Hannah, and Gia tallied an assist each. The Jesters began to work on a settled attack, but their defense after a strong game let up 2 goals in the final 2 minutes. Jenny, Allie, Hye Lim, and Caroline M each played a strong game defensively. Eloise managed 13 saves in another solid performance. The Jesters take to their home field again tomorrow to take on Averill Park in a key match-up.

EWS 7 – Averill Park 15

The Jesters played their second of three straight games on their home field today. Emma took to the field against Class B Averill Park, a solid team from the Suburban Council. The first half was very exciting and was highlighted by solid defensive play, some great saves by Eloise, and 4 goals by senior co-captain Hilary. Bess would tally the other 2 goals of the first half. The score went back and forth the entire first half with Averill Park starting the scoring at the 21:54 mark. Hilary would answer back on an assist from Caroline C. Solid draws from senior co-captain Libby would help the Jesters stay in the game. The first half ended on a stall by the opponent, and Emma held their ground not letting up a goal in the last 4:29 of the first half. The defense was lead by Jenny, Allie, Hye Lim, and Caroline M. The score was tied 6-6 at the half.

After a halftime that rested everyone that was on the field and with some key coaching tips from Head Coach Liz Parry, the Jesters were ready to take the field. Libby netted her only goal for the Jesters in the second half and would put Emma up 7-6. However, Averill Park turned out to be too tough for the Jesters on this day. While the defense played a good game, confusion and fatigue set in for most of the half. The Jesters never gave up, but their opponent just seemed to be one step ahead for most of the second half. This loss will serve as a building block for a fairly young team. Emma takes to the field tomorrow afternoon against Cohoes.

EW 15 – Glens Falls 10

On this cool and rainy Monday afternoon the Jesters took the field to play Glens Falls. Off the starting draw we got the ball, and Crystal scored the first goal. Caroline M scored our second goal off a pass from Libby, and then Noelle scored unassisted, putting us ahead 3-1. Glens Falls took a time out and came back onto the field with a different strategy. They tied the game up and took over the lead at 18:35 left in the first half.  Glens Falls is an athletic team, and their players have speed. They were beating us down field and scoring the goals off fast breaks. They took a 5-3 lead at 7:05. Coach Parry made a few adjustments both in the midfield and defense to add some speed. Jenny and Hye Ji’s quickness were assets to us. Caroline M dropped down into deep defense to veer the opponents off goal. Libby scored unassisted, and then Glens Falls scored and then Hilary scored 2, one assisted by Libby and the other by Anna to tie us up 6-6 at 4:16. Glens Falls scored again with .35 seconds to go up 7-6 at the half.

Coach Parry at half time asked the attackers for more pressure on the ball handlers through the midfield. The Jesters came out hard second half. Sarah M scored 2 unassisted goals to put us back in the lead. Glens Falls scored and tied it up, but we did not stop. Sarah and Hilary responded with unassisted goals to put us up 10-9 at 13:05 left in the game. We did not turn back and became too much for Glens Falls to handle. We broke ahead and scored 5 unanswered goals putting us ahead 15-9 with 5:13 remaining. Scoring for us were Libby with 2 goals both assisted by Sarah M, Sarah M scoring with an assist from Hilary, and Noelle and Crystal scoring unassisted goals. Glens Falls scored one more time, and the game ended with a 15-10 score. Defense was strong throughout the second half, and Eloise was making some solid saves. Eloise had 17 saves for the day.

EWS 8 –Scotia 10

The Jesters traveled to Scotia today to take on a competitive team. Emma’s opponent was not going to back down easily. Emma got off on the right foot when Hilary scored on an assist from Crystal less than 30 seconds into the game. Sarah M would put her team back ahead on another assist from Crystal, but that 2-1 lead was short lived. Scotia would extend their lead to 4-2 before the Jesters would answer when Bess scored on an assist from Noelle. Emma wasn’t connecting in the midfield with their passes, and they were losing the ground ball battle. All of these factors combined with sloppy checking would leave the Jesters trailing 7-5 at the half.

In the second half, Emma would fight back, led by Libby, scored two goals and add an assist to bring the Jesters to an 8-8 tie. However, on this day, the Jesters’ attack fell short and with poor shot placement and to many turnovers, Emma fell 8-10. The defense played another decent game, but with sloppy play in the midfield and frustration setting in Emma did not prevail. The team will hit the practice field tomorrow in preparation for Holy Names on Friday. Emma hopes to rebound from their fourth loss of the season to avenge their first loss of the season.

EWS 13 – Holy Names 12

Jesters scored three unanswered goals in 2:30 to secure victory against Holy Names. The Jesters traveled to rival Holy Names today to take on a formidable opponent. Emma knew they needed to contain two of their opponent’s key players if they were to have a chance to win this game. Emma got off on the right foot when Sarah M scored the first of five goals at the 22:23 mark of the first half. The game would go back and forth with each team trading goals for most of the half. Senior co-captain Libby scored two goals in the first half and Sarah M scored four. Captains Hilary and Libby combined for one goal during the half, while Crystal was assisted by Libby for the remaining goal. The Jesters managed to play strong defense throughout the first half. Emma was well conditioned and was able to begin to beat out Holy Names to groundballs and maintain possession. They led 8-7 going into halftime.

At the half, Head Coach Liz Parry told the team to keep up the good play and to begin to increase the intensity. The Jesters took the field and within a minute and a half had allowed Holy Names to tie the game at 8. Emma knew what they needed to do and with encouragement from the sideline, held tough. Libby found Gia wide open on a pass and Gia capitalized with her first goal of the season. Gia has worked extremely hard during each practice and this was a defining moment for her. This goal put the Jesters back ahead by one. The two teams continued to trade goals until Holy Names managed to go up by two. With two and a half minutes remaining, the Jesters called for a time out. Coach Parry told her team that they could win this game and that all they needed to do was maintain possession and have patience. With this encouragement the Jesters were determined to win the game. Libby controlled the draw and brought possession to the offensive zone. Junior Sarah M was fouled and netted her 5th goal of the game. This brought the team to within one with 2:13 remaining. Libby took the draw against her tired and fatigued opponent and found the back of the net for her fourth goal of the game. This tied the score at 12 each with 1:32 remaining. The Jesters believed they could pull off the come-from-behind victory. With 1:14 remaining, Noelle found Libby on a cross for the game winner. Possession was important for the last 1:14 and while it was not easy, the Jesters managed to keep the ball away from their opponent long enough to secure the victory.

Caroline M and Sarah O would each contribute an assist during the game. Strong defense was played by Jenny, Allie, Hye Lim, Caroline M, and the entire midfield. Control of the draw was consistent with Crystal, Caroline M, Sarah M, and Sarah O helping. Eloise would contribute 11 saves on the day. The Jesters played like a team, and while there is still room to improve, this win helps the team realize that hard work pays off.

EW 8 – Schenectady 6

The Jesters started off their three home-game week today with Schenectady. We came on strong right off the starting draw, and it took only a minute-and-a-half for Sarah M to score our first goal. We continued to control the draw. On the center circle, Libby, Crystal, Sarah, Caroline, and Sarah O were playing tough and gaining possessions. They were doing a nice job running through their pick ups. Our passing was strong, and we were making strong connections from the midfield up towards the goal. We had a 4-0 lead within the first six minutes. Besides Sarah, Crystal scored with an assist from Noelle and Libby scored with an assist from Hilary and then Hilary scored herself with an assist from Libby. Attack was keeping the pressure on their players forcing the Schenectady goalie to turn the ball over on clears. She was clearing long up to the midfield, but the Schenectady players were missing the ball and Hye Lim, Jenny, Gia, Sarah O, and Allie were picking it off. Our defense was playing tight and denying players the ball and double teaming the ball handlers forcing checks and causing turnovers. Eloise made some key saves. At 11:58 left in the first half Schenectady got on the scoreboard. They scored one more time before the half and for us, 2 goals were scored, one from Crystal unassisted and the other by Libby from Noelle. We ended the half, up 6-2.

During half time Coach Parry praised the work of the team and told them to keep up the intensity. She told the attack to continue looking for the fast break but to also settle and set up plays. Second half we went cold on the attack. The second half was scoreless for the first six minutes till Schenectady had a few of their own fast breaks and scored. Sarah answered back with one and then Schenectady scored again. For 12 minutes the score remained at 7-4, our favor. We had several attacking attempts, but they did not pan out. At 3:51 Schenectady scored and was trailing by two. Coach Parry took a time out. She told the team possession, possession, and make the defense come play us. Let’s work the clock. As we were passing the ball around Caroline C received the ball behind cage and passed to Crystal as she cut to goal and scored with .24 seconds left. Off the draw Schenectady took the ball and scored their last goal with eight seconds remaining. We got possession of the ball off the last draw, and Sarah held on to it as time ran out. The Jesters won 8-6. A great team effort, and Eloise had 12 saves for the day.

EW 12 – AAG 9

Emma took to their home field this afternoon and was able to defeat archrival Albany Academy for Girls. AAG maintained their hold on first place, but their undefeated season came to an end. AAG started off the scoring at 23:18, but Libby answered right back at 22:26 to tie the game at one goal each. Hilary connected with Libby less than a minute later to put the Jesters up 2-1. Academy did not falter and answered back with two goals of their own to take the lead 3-2. Emma, connecting well with their passes, challenging groundballs, and having patience on defense, were not slowed. Hilary scored on a pass from Crystal at 16:13 to tie the game at three. The Jesters then scored three more goals to take the lead 6-3 at the 11:17 mark of the first half. With ten minutes of the first half remaining, Emma dug in deep on defense. Jenny, Allie, Hye Lim, and Caroline M played a great game defensively. However, Academy closed within one of our lead at the half. Caroline C, Hilary, Sarah M, and Caroline M, tallied the remaining four goals of the first half. Noelle, Sarah, and Libby contributed by assisting on three of the four goals. The Jesters led 7-6 at the half. At halftime, Head Coach Liz Parry motivated her team by letting them know that if Emma played their game they could come away with the win. She told the team to continue to execute solid pressure in the midfield, connect on passes and challenge every ground ball.

Second-half scoring started when Crystal scored on an unassisted goal at 19:23. Emma led 8-6. Hilary scored on an assist from Sarah M. to push the lead back to three goals. Yet again Albany Academy marched back scoring 2 goals to close the score to 9-8. Caroline M tallied her second goal of the game on an assist from Libby. The Jesters led 10-8. Again, the defense held their ground, the attack pressured the ball in the midfield, and Eloise made a few fantastic saves to keep Emma in the game. Eloise ended the game with 13 saves. Academy tallied one more goal at the 6:07 mark to close the game to a 10-9 score. Sarah and Libby contributed one more goal each (Crystal assisted Libby), and the entire team held Academy scoreless in the last 6 minutes of the game.

Emma played a great game. Their hard work and perseverance during practice has translated into three straight victories for the team. Everyone on the team contributed to today from those on the playing field to those who offer encouragement from the sidelines. Emma has their final home game of the season on Thursday against league opponent Cohoes. Next week the Jesters travel to Schenectady on Wednesday and Cohoes on Thursday to conclude their regular season. The team will continue to work hard during each game and practice in preparation for the Section II Class C tournament.

EWS 13 – Cohoes 1

The Jesters ended their regular season on a winning note with a victory over Cohoes 13-1. The Jesters didn’t start off very strong, leading 2-1 after the first 10 minutes. In the remainder of the first half, however, Emma would score 5 more goals. Libby had tallied the 2 goals, one on an assist from Caroline C. Hilary scored 2 goals, one assisted by Caroline C and the other by Crystal. Sarah M scored 3 times, one on assist from Libby, one from Gia, and the third from Crystal. The Jesters were playing well by challenging each groundball and by completing their passes up the field.

In the second half, Emma decided to play a more relaxed game. They held Cohoes scoreless behind Eloise’s 9 saves and solid defensive play. Libby would score 2 more goals in this half, one unassisted and one from Gia. With these goals she joined her older sister, Jesse ’05, in scoring 200 career goals while at Emma. Libby would actually find Caroline M on two goals and Sarah M on another before being rested for the remainder of the half. Emma played a good game and worked on their settled attack for the remainder of the second half.

Emma finished the regular season 11-4 overall and will take on Cohoes in the first round of the Section II, Class C tournament on Tuesday at home. Emma finished in 2nd place in the CDWLL.

EWS 15 – Cohoes 2

It’s never easy to play a team three times in a row. However, even though the Jesters began a little sluggish, they didn’t seem to have a problem. They opened up their lead to 9 goals at the half and finished with a final score of 15-2. Eleven Emma players tallied an assist. Hilary led all scorers with 5 goals. The Jesters played a solid game. They connected well in the midfield, controlled the draw, and challenged groundballs well. Crystal had a fantastic game and was key in controlling the draw. She also contributed 1 goal and 1 assist. Gia, Melissa, and Lucy all tallied second-half goals. Sarah M and Libby each scored 3 goals and 1 assist. Noelle, Caroline C, and Caroline M each tallied 2 assists. Sarah O contributed 1 assist. The team worked well with their settled attack, and Eloise contributed 11 saves to improve her save percentage to 58%. The Jesters will take on Glens Falls in the semifinals on Thursday at 4:30 pm at home.

EWS 18 – Glens Falls 10

The Jesters continued their march towards the Section II Class C title today with an 18-10 victory over Glens Falls in a challenging semi-final matchup. Libby started off the scoring seconds into the game on an assist from Caroline C to put the Jesters up 1-0. Emma never looked back. Libby led all scorers with 6 goals and 3 assists. Hilary netted 4 goals and an assist, while Sarah M scoree 4 goals and tallied 2 assists. Crystal scored 2 goals, while Caroline M and Noelle each added one goal. Noelle also contributed one assist. Caroline C rounded out all points with 2 assists. The defense played a very solid game although they did allow 10 goals. Jenny, Allie, and Hye Lim all contributed to hold their opponent to five goals in each half. Eloise played another outstanding game contributing 15 saves. The Jesters will defend their Class C title from 2007 when they travel to Union College to take on #1 Albany Academy for Girls in the Section II Class C Championship at 3:30 pm.