ESPN

WESTWOOD, Mass. -– The ever-suspenseful coaching rematch between Leslie Frank and daughter Meredith showed both how far the Notre Dame of Hingham program has come, and why Leslie's two-time defending state champ Westwood remains the standard for girls' lacrosse in Massachusetts.

In a tight defensive battle between the top two ranked programs in the state, No. 1 Westwood (10-0) again edged No. 2 NDH (8-2), 7-4, to win the regular season rematch of the last years' south sectional semifinals at Flahive Field last night.

“We wanted the ball back so furiously,” said Westwood coach Leslie Frank. “You could just see the teamwork. When someone was going in for a shot the double was coming.”

Westwood outscored the Cougars 5-1 over a 23:42 span to pull away from an early 2-2 tie.

Junior Ela Hazar (foul goals) bounced in a free position to start the run at 3-2 with 15:36 left in the first half. A minute and a half later junior Kim Egizi drew three defenders away from the net and setup a backhanded 4-2 score by Hazar along the post to help guarantee the Cougars would never equalize.

“We just tried to play a little bit more aggressive,” said Meredith Frank. “Last time we played them we sort of turtle'd. We kept up our intensity defensively.”

After allowing a deep free position score by Notre Dame junior Kelsey Bowen, Westwood scored twice in the final minute of the first half to go ahead 6-3. Egizi finished a backdoor tally at 53.8 seconds. The junior then hit Hazar in motion along the net where she knocked the ball out of the air and into the inside of the top post for a 6-3 goal.

“Lots of shooting drills are done in two's; quick feet (and) quick shots,” said Leslie Frank. “It is to her credit that (Hazar) can stick that with a swarm of defenders on her. She has legit soft hands, beautiful stick control and beautiful finishing work.”

R'Askin A Lot In Net: Meghan Raskin was absolutely the difference for Westwood in the victory with 14 saves. The Cougars controlled possession and peppered the junior with shots all second half, including nine shots-on-goal, but were only able to score once.

Raskin opened the later half by shifting to catch ND (H) senior Julia Simmons along the post on a dangerous pass from freshman Charlotte Allard. Within four minutes of play Raskin just swung her net low enough to save her second free position in two minutes.

“Stepping up to the occasion is something that is really important,” said Raskin. “We always do eight-meter shots so we are prepared for that. You just have to keep a good head on you shoulders.”

Cracking a Defensive Stalemate: Westwood sophomore Colleen Burke worked her way through a gap in the defense and snuck horizontally past the front of the net to open up a high 7-3 scoring effort after 16 minutes of play in the second half. Fifty one seconds later Cougars' sophomore Lexi Lenaghan caught a high lob from Allard and buried it along the back post for the 7-4 final.

“(Raskin) was dominate on her low saves,” said Meredith Frank. “I wish we could have shot the ball a little higher. This is just one more step in where we want to take this program.”

Lenaghan ripped an open shot off the top crossbar with 4:55 left, while junior Isabella O'Connor bulldozed her way past two defenders to force a tough low save from Raskin.

Up and Coming Family Rivalry: Meredith played on two of her mother's six Division 1 state champion teams before playing four years at juggernaut Northwestern University. Last year was a breakthrough season for the program, but the Cougars were brought back down to Earth with a tough 18-8 south sectional semifinal loss in Meredith's first matchup against her mother.

The tight loss last night showed another step in the right direction, as the two squads remain the favorites for the South region and the state as a whole this season.

“I am following the lead of my girls and my school,” said Meredith Frank. “This is just one more step in where we want to take this program. My mom has done this for a long time and she has earned that respect and discipline from her players and that is what I am trying to instill.”

HINGHAM, Mass. -- Notre Dame of Hingham coach Meredith Frank remembers the three-mile runs that would frequent practices in her career at Westwood. As a player they would joke they ran more than the track team, though she now denies it was true.

It is this commitment to resilience that has led to five MIAA Division 1 championships for her mother and former coach Leslie Frank -- including two with Meredith playing -- and that has yearly produced college-ready athletes for top programs like Northwestern.

It was also this level of athleticism that pushed No. 3 seed Westwood (21-2) out of ahead of Meredith's second-seeded Panthers (21-2) on Tuesday and that helped it hold pace as they advanced to Division 1 South finals with an 18-8 road win.

“It was not always peaches and cream with her, but you were better off for it,” said Meredith Frank. “What made her different was the emphasis on athlete endurance and speed.”

“Our fitness can not let down just becaue it is cold and unfavorable,” added Leslie Frank.

Seniors Laura McHoul are Kate Rich are familiar with this standard having grabbed state titles in '09 and '11 under the Westwood skipper. Both players have played a crucial role in defending that crown all season and were no different on Thursday.

McHoul fronted all scorers with six goals and three assict, while Rich put in four and assisted a pair.

Junior Marina Burke started the Wolverines on a nine-goal streak to open by grabbing a free position assist from teammate sophomore Ela Hazar three minutes in. A cross-field assist from Hazar to McHoul made way for a backdoor score by freshman Brooke Troy and a 9-0 advantage at 6:16.

“We use weighted sticks in practice (and) it helps our sticks feel lighter,” said McHoul. “We go on long runs before practice then do
some sprint in practice. When we are running against a fast team we can compete.”

These stick drills are the same ones that helped Meredith develop her handle as youth and made way for both her and sister Alex to each win a pair of state titles. Both the Notre Dame headwoman and her younger sibling carried their talents to Northwestern where they contributed to six NCAA women’s lacrosse championship.

“She never waivers her philosophy,” said Meredith Frank of her mother. “She uses the same drills whether it is a 4th grader or 12th
grader. It is this philosophy that creates confident young women.”

Lacrosse success runs in the Frank lineage and so does the ability to coach it. Older brother Drew brought Colorado's smallest school, St. Mary's High in Colorado Springs, to its first winning season at 8-6. In Hingham, Meredith has taken a perennial playoff program and turned it to a title contender.

“(Leslie) started coaching me in youth lacrosse in fifth grade and was a big part of lacrosse taking of in Westwood,” said Meredith Frank. “Everything I know about coaching is a combination mother and Northwestern coach Kelly [Amonte Hiller].”

A behing the crease isolation run by junior Amelia Brown helped break the shutout for Notre Dame at 4:35 as the Panthers went on their longest run off the night. Teammate junior Alex Dalton whipped a sidearm set piece in the final seconds to cut the score to 9-3 at halftime.

Despite both teams scoring to open the second, Rich motioned completely around the crease then buried a low rip to prompt a four-tally run at 20:33. Burke caught a cross net assist from teammate sophomore Healy to put the Wolverine's up 14-4 six minutes later.

The Panthers would never cut back within nine.

“A large part of the plan was to force them out without swinging and forcing fouls,” said Leslie Frank. “They have so many well-trained shooters. I respect the job she has done, but when I am coaching I do not really think about her.”

WESTWOOD, Mass. -- Two time state girls' lacrosse champions Laura McHoul and Kate Rich not only know what it takes to win a title, but showed they are ready to defend their crown this afternoon.

Battling from opposite sides of the crease, the seniors worked passing lanes and found openings all afternoon as they lead defending champs No. 3 Westwood (20-0) to the Division 1 South semifinals with a 19-3 defeat of guest No. 6 Wellesley (12-8) at Flahive Field.

The Wolverines have eliminated Wellesley from five straight postseason, while winning four of the last eight state titles.

“Laura and I have a lot of experience and we are trying to pass that
down,” said Rich. “We have a young team. One of our focuses was off ball movement and I think we did a really good job of that.”

Rich netted five and assisted three, while McHoul both tallied and assisted four.

Opening with nine straight, Westwood put an additional 15 shots on goal as it rumbled ahead early and never looked back.



Spread Out and Attack: The Wolverines look to spread out their opponents then attack the openings. Working McHoul rear of the crease and Rich up top, the seniors bobbed in and out testing isolated openings and finding horizontal passing lanes.

Rich backed up her defender and buried a shot over the keeper's shoulder in the first few seconds for the Wolverines first score, while McHoul slipped in behind the net to assist a quick flicked finish by sophomore Ela Hazar for a 9-0 lead at 9:49 in the initial half.

“Our goal is to spread it out more,” said Westwood coach Leslie Frank. “(Laura) sees openings and hits the pass well. If Kate is behind, Laura can finish.”

Push 'Em Back: Coach Frank aimed to double high and push the Raiders towards the halfway line. This defense was effective in forcing backwards offensive motion as Westwood limited Wellesley to one shot-on-goal in the first eleven minutes.

A pair of unassisted second-half tallies from freshman Caroline Bradley and junior Molly Connelly, at 7:33 and 4:23 respectively, were a brief sign of attacking life for the Raiders.

“We tried to spread them out as much as we could, but they put us under a ton of pressure,” said Wellesley first-year coach Sarah Dacey. “We knew they were going to double, so we prepared the girls for that. This is a team you have to spread out and create lanes.”

Finishing Touch: A penalty effort by junior Annie Valle to open Wellesley's scoring at 4:32 in the first was quickly squashed by eight straight from the Tri-Valley League champs.

Rich caught a pair of back net assist for two late first half goals, while twelve minutes into the second half freshman Brooke Troy buried two off penalties chances to produce a 17-1 deficit.

“We do a lot of work on draw control (which) is key to gaining the first two possessions (and) makes you feel some confidence,” said Frank. “That was the key to them executing well with confidence.”

Westwood grabbed five of the first seven draws, while finishing with a three win advantage.

Family First: Westwood faces tomorrow’s winner between No. 2 seed Notre Dame of Hingham (20-1) and No. 7 Newton North (13-5-1), with the date to be decided. A win by the Cougars would set up the first match up between Notre Dame coach Meredith Frank and mother Leslie.

“I am looking forward to it,” said Leslie Frank of the opportunity. “We try to do the right thing from the sidelines, but very little at this point happens from a coaches standpoint. It is out of both of our hands.”

Algonquin Regional senior attack Carly O'Connell netted her 500th career point this afternoon, in the Tomahawks' thrilling 12-11 double-overtime win over archrival Westborough.

O'Connell, a University of Oregon signee, sat at 499 points headed into today, and joins an exclusive club of 500-point scorers in Massachusetts that includes Westwood's Kelly Rich and Wellesley's Blake Dietrick. Current Notre Dame of Hingham head coach Meredith Frank is the state's all-time leader in points with 552 (306 goals, 242 assists) doing so over four seasons at Westwood High (2002-05).

Coming into the season, the Tomahawks had not beaten their archrivals since May of 2008, going 0-9 against the Rangers since that moment. With today's win, they sweep the season series, move to 17-1 on the season, and will likely grab the No. 1 overall seed in Division 1 Central when brackets are unveiled for the MIAA tournament.

HINGHAM, Mass. -- In what looked to be a tightly-contested matchup of Division I state title contenders, host No. 5 Notre Dame of Hingham (10-0) grabbed an early six-goal lead as they cruised to a 14-10 victory over No. 1 Lincoln-Sudbury (9-1) at Margetts Field.

“L-S is a great team (that) I know is going to go far,” said Notre Dame coach Meredith Frank. “It is a belief that we can be successful that we can compete with the top teams in the state. Getting after it, finishing our shots and doing all the little things it takes to win a game.”

The Cougars were led with four tallies from sophomore Isabella O'Connor and three goals by juniors Amelia Brown and Alex Dalton (two assists). Junior Abby Quirk netted five for the Warriors.

A Quick Draw: The first ten draws of the game all led to scores for the victor.

Notre Dame center Madison Caron dominated the first six face-offs to set up a 6-0 lead at 16:34, but L-S's Madison Acton (both seniors) won the next four from the center-line and scored a pair to cut the margin to 6-4 in the next three minutes.

“I told the girls yesterday that it is the draw that is going to be the game,” said L-S coach Deb DeJesus.

“It is focus, it is hard work for five or six seconds, and it is getting the ball out of there,” added Frank.

The two squads tallied 13 draws a piece.

Slicing up the Defense: The Cougars spread the Warriors' defense with their wide offensive passing then used quick individual cuts to find open lanes.

Four of Notre Dame's first six goals developed by motioning the rubber behind the net and up to a cutter. A back of the crease assist from freshman Keeley MacAfee to junior Mariel Teague gave Notre Dame its six tally, while upfront one-on-one efforts into open gaps from Teague and Brown put L-S in its deepest hole of the season with a 14-7 margin at 14:53 in the second.

“We really worked on our fitness to keep up with them,” said O'Connor. “ Get open, make cuts, and set picks for other people. When you make the team better, you make yourself better.”

The Griffin Effect: The Warriors used senior Megan Griffin (four assists) to draw off defenders and open scoring lanes for teammates.

A double-team on Griffin at 15:48 in the first opened the scoring for the Warriors by freeing a middle lane for Quirk and a one-on-one with sophomore keeper Sam Cuomo. Eight minutes later the senior walked defenders away from the post and opened a lane along the crease for senior Rachel Sexton to keep the Warriors within range down 7-5.

“We look to draw the double and dump it off to that person,” said DeJesus. “We have a lot of speed on our team so we look for fast break first.”

Warrior Spirit: The Warriors netted a pair of breakaway goals by Quirk and sophomore Eliza Guild in the final two minutes to cut the margin to four. However, a low set-piece rocket from senior Sarah Ganio ricocheted off Coumo's stick in the final seconds.

“Today they were the better team,” said DeJesus. “That is why you have the regular season so you grow as a team. To take it as a challenge and learn from those areas that beat you in.”

HINGHAM, Mass. -- The Notre Dame Academy girls lacrosse team knew it would need someone to step up and fill the large shoes of last year’s top scorer, Jess Roach. Junior Alex Dalton took over that role nicely in the Cougars biggest test of the young season.

The junior scored six times -- including three straight to break open a tie game late in the second half -- and Notre Dame was able to hold on for a 14-13 triumph over Duxbury, Thursday afternoon at Margetts Field.

“She’s definitely a leader,” said Notre Dame coach Meredith Frank in praise of Dalton. “She’s a player who wants the ball when the game is on the line and by golly we’re going to give her the ball. She’s very very talented. I think she still has a lot of growth and a lot learning to do but I couldn’t be more proud of her and how she rallied her teammates.”

The Dragons (3-1) had just taken their first lead of the game courtesy of a Hannah Murphy inspired 5-0 run. Murphy won five straight draw controls and scored the first two goals in the spirt, while Tina Balzotti (five goals) added a pair and Kristen Brockwell buried the score that put Duxbury ahead, 12-11.

Madison Caron, who engaged in a terrific battle in the circle with Murphy all day, won three draws in a row of her own, all three of which led to possessions that resulted in Dalton scores.

Dalton put the Cougars (7-0) back in front for good, raising her stick outside the restraining line to signal for a pass. Keeley MacAfee had the ball behind the Duxbury cage and delivered a perfect feed as Dalton flashed in and was able to score.

“I was coming in from behind the restraining line, filling in after my whole team had been in the eight for a while and I noticed there wasn’t any defense looking at me,” Dalton explained. “They were looking at the ball so I just kind of snuck in behind them and my teammate saw me and passed it to me.”

Dalton put away one more off another terrific pass, this time from Amelia Brown (three goals, three assists), to put NDA ahead, 14-12 with just under three minutes go. Murphy (four goals, two assists) got a late score for the Dragons, but NDA was able to hold off any further thoughts of another comeback.

“It definitely took some adjustments but I’m very proud of these girls,” said Dragons coach Kelly Jurgens. “I know its a loss in the book but I consider it a win in in my heart because the girls came back from a six-goal deficit at one point. It shows that I have a bunch of fighters on my team and thats all you can hope for.”

Notre Dame got off to a hot start, building a 6-1 lead, something that Frank was very pleased to see.

“We haven’t started that strong in the first half yet this season so that was a big positive for us and something we need to take to the rest of our season,” she said. “I knew we weren’t going to be able to sustain because Duxbury has tons of great players and girls who can make plays. But I did know it was great for us to start that strong and then be able to fight back. A lot of great lessons were learned in this game.”