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.”

BROCKTON, Mass. -– After watching No. 16 Notre Dame deliver upsets in the first two round of the Div. 2 South Sectional tourney, No. 4 Duxbury made sure early on Wednesday evening in a semifinals game at Massasoit Community College that they wouldn’t meet the same fate.

The Dragons poured in the first eight points of the contest en route to a convincing 57-39 win in a game they never trailed in, punching their ticket for the South finals, where they’ll meet No. 2 seed Medfield on Saturday at UMass-Boston at 2 p.m.

While the Cougars (13-12) defense kept Duxbury stars Michaela North and Kate Norton in check in the first quarter -– they combined on just five points, sophomore point guard Madeline Foote made sure there would be plenty of offense for the Dragons (21-2).

She buried three 3-pointers in the first quarter and another in the second to pace Duxbury’s first half attack.

“Madi’s a fabulous 3-point shooter and she was killing it during pre-game,” said Duxbury coach Robert Sullivan. “Obviously, that carried over into the game.”

Even though Foote has flashed solid offensive abilities this year –- she scored a team-high 21 in the Dragons’ first round win over Hopkinton -– her role in the offense is typical to set up the seniors with scoring chances.

“I usually just shoot the three if it’s a kick-out,” Foote said. “Usually I just control the ball and get it to Kate or work it down low. Their defense put pressure on me to open things up for Kate -– whose our big shooter, and to open things up down low.”

And perhaps more importantly than just supplying early offense, Foote emerging as a threat from distance did wonders to get their stars going even without her adding to her total of 12 points.

“It helped us out so much,” said North. “When she has a big game like that, or Kate hits early threes it opens everything up. It spreads the floor and gives us more chances to post-up down low and get more points.”

North went on to score a game-high 23 points as part of an impressive triple-double in which she also pulled in 12 rebounds and blocked 11 shots for Duxbury.

“She’s a special, special young lady,” said Sullivan. “Hardest working kid in practice every day. This means a lot to her. All week long, we worked on press breakers because we knew it was coming. She took it seriously.”

The 6-foot-2 forward was even better on the defensive side of things, using an innate shot-blocking ability to all but eliminate Notre Dame’s chances to score inside the paint.

“Unlike a windmill block, she goes up and blocks everything left-handed,” said Sullivan. “Most people shoot right-handed, so she goes up with the left and she’s not concerned with Hollywood, she’s just concerned with blocking the shot and maybe getting it to a teammate.”

Norton was the third-leading scorer for the Dragons, adding eight points. She also dished out five assists, had five rebounds, five steals and five blocks to help send Duxbury to the finals.

For Notre Dame, McKenna Cudgma did everything she could to keep the Cougars alive. She netted a team-high 12 points, had five steals and grabbed four rebounds in the loss. Teammate Alexandra Dalton added 10 points and six rebounds while Colleen McClelland added seven points and five rebounds.

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- After losing the third game and coming up just short while winning the last four service points out of five, Kayla Crook thought the chance to defend the state championship for Barnstable was slipping away.

The senior setter’s effort on the service line in Game Three may not have been enough, but the senior showcased her experience in an epic five-game comeback for the ages as the Red Raiders shocked Lincoln-Sudbury, 3-2 (27-29; 25-14; 21-25; 25-18; 15-12) in the Division 1 State semifinals on the campus of Bridgewater-Raynham.

Crook was candid as the senior leader admitted a possible loss to end her career was on the horizon, and it crept into the back of her mind as the match was the Warriors’ to lose.

“Undoubtedly, it did but what popped into everyone’s head was the same thing was happening that happened with Newton North and we didn’t want it to recur again and we just wanted it so badly,” Crook said.

Crook was referring to the Lady Tigers ending the staggering 41-match win streak for head coach Tom Turco and his Red Raiders squad back in October. The loss had Barnstable on shaky ground coming into the state tournament but the senior-laden team didn’t miss a beat sweeping past Stoughton, Notre Dame of Hingham and their South Coast rival, New Bedford (2009 state champs), for Turco’s 18th South Sectional championship and their third consecutive trip to the state finals.

“It was time for the seniors to step up and not they reacted to losing the third game, but you had Kayla Crook come in there and serve bullets,” Turco said. “This wasn’t serve and hope – this was serve to win.”

After trailing 2-1, fellow senior Regan Bristol, who had a game-high 30 kills, finished off the equalizer game to knot up the score at two games apiece. But the momentum shift didn’t last long as the Warriors rushed out to a 4-0 lead in the pivotal fifth game. In fact, Lincoln-Sudbury (18-2) was up 9-3 in a game to 15 so Barnstable was six points from being eliminated but the rotation was coming together at the perfect time for Crook.

“I think the pressure is good for us and it is only going to help us improve and we just need to come out and start the games a little faster,” said the senior defensive specialist. “My first concern is getting (the serve) in and my second concern is picking a spot where I know that I could possibly get them out of system. We take instruction from Coach [Turco] and we just apply it.”

The two-time defending Division 1 state champions ripped off seven of the next eight points with Crook being an integral part of the shocking comeback. With the score tied at 10, Lincoln-Sudbury was understandably on their heels as they went from celebrating every point to realizing the shadow of Barnstable’s volleyball empire was staring back at them.

The Warriors were in a fifth and final rubber game for the first time this season and it was evident in the final seven points as the slide continued for the five-time Central-West sectional champs. They dropped five of the last unlucky seven points with uncharacteristic sloppy net play throughout. With seven of the nine players in the rotation being seniors, even head coach Judy Katalina was surprised.

“We have seven seniors here that just love volleyball and they were crying after the match but I don’t think it is because we lost, they were crying because they won’t be in the gym together tomorrow as this is a special cohesive unit,” Katalina said. “We had a six-point lead and we just made some unforced errors, nothing against Barnstable, because they made us make those unforced errors and we played tentative and played not to lose at the end and you aren’t going to win a match that way.”

The first game was the best of the bunch with Lincoln-Sudbury pulling out the rabbit at the end with a 29-27 victory, after stellar outside hitting play from Jessica Bursma (7 kills) and Amanda Sifferlen (15). But it was Barnstable junior Colleen Kenney who stepped up in game two and was the spark the Red Raiders needed to tie things up in the see-saw match.

The outside hitting of the Warriors was stifled for much of the match after Game One and the credit goes to the inside play -- the style Turco has lived with his entire career, of Barnstable’s middle hitters. But trailing 9-3 in the final game even had the tough-minded Turco on the ropes.

“We’ve been doing this for 25 years and we’ve been coming out of the middle, everyone knows it, and that’s just the way it is,” Turco said. “Sometimes you try not to have those thoughts but sometimes you sit there and say, [the seniors] have to get it done and I was a lot louder in Game One but I got to sit back and let them play.”

Sifferlen finished her fantastic senior season as one of the best outside hitters in the state for the Warriors but was stunned at the outcome of the match and lamented that the Warriors just didn’t finish the Red Raiders off.

“I don’t even know what happened. I know that we wanted it but I think they have a lot more experience being in a game like this and we were in foreign territory,” Sifferlen said. “When they started creeping up we got a little unnerved I guess but we needed to keep our positive energy and I think the situation came down us. We know we need to get up early, which we did, but this time we needed to keep going.”

Barnstable’s win sets up the rematch with Newton North, who actually split their season series with Lincoln-Sudbury for their only loss on the season. So Barnstable and the Tigers know each other well, but now the state title is on the line and Crook is excited for the opportunity to go out as a three-time state champion -- even if the loss wasn’t the first thing on her mind.

"I wasn’t even keeping count [of the winning streak], but I’m pumped, I’m so excited. It’s going to be a great game, I’m so excited. [Newton North] are a great team."

The MIAA girls' soccer Top 20 poll has been updated for Week 2 and Peabody keeps its hold on the top spot.

The Tanners stay at the top of the poll with a couple of early season wins, but the big move this week was Canton dropping from No. 2 all the way to 16 after a 0-1-1 week and Franklin, who beat Canton 5-2, moving six spots to no. 11.

Two teams dropped out of the poll this week, Notre Dame (Hingham) and Acton-Boxborough, and were replaced by Central Catholic and Norwell.

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.”

ESPNHS updated its girls lacrosse "FAB 50" national poll this morning, and once again a Massachusetts squad is the only New England school represented on the list.

Notre Dame of Hingham moves up one spot to No. 42 in this week's poll, and has stayed on the list for three weeks. The Cougars have a big matchup today, facing defending Division 1 state champion Westwood in a D1 South semifinal. Notre Dame is coached by Meredith Frank, while her mother Leslie is the legendary Westwood coach.

Needham also received votes this week.

To see the complete poll, CLICK HERE.

ESPNHS updated its national girls lacrosse "FAB 50" poll today, and Notre Dame of Hingham makes is the lone New England school represented.

The Cougars moves up one spot from last week, to No. 43. They are the No. 2 overall seed in Division 1 South at 19-1, and are expected to contend for the sectional title and beyond.

Needham, which has previously been ranked in the poll, was the only other New England school to receive votes.

To see the complete poll, CLICK HERE.

We updated our statewide MIAA Top 25 poll this afternoon, and for the third consecutive week we have a new team holding down the No. 1 spot.

Westwood reclaimed their preseason ranking as No. 1 in last week's poll, but that lasted just 24 hours before the Wolverines fell victim to another loss, this time the Needham Rockets. With the win, Needham jumps up one spot to No. 1, marking the program's first appearance at the top in the two-year history of the poll.

Lincoln-Sudbury moves into the No. 2 spot, while Westwood falls two spots to No. 3. Andover (4) and Notre Dame of Hingham (5) round out the top five.

Making its return to the polls this week is Agawam, which backs into No. 25 despite dropping two straight to Western Mass. powerhouses Minnechaug and Longmeadow.

For the complete poll, CLICK HERE.

The following coaches will be honored at the Second Annual Coach of the Year/Student Athlete Banquet on May 30, 2012. Each coach below has been named Coach of the Year by the MIAA for their respective sport:

Robert Mahoney, Notre Dame (Tyngsborough) -- Girls Volleyball
Amelia Davis, Algonquin -- Gymnastics
Kevin Burchill, Braintree -- Girls Ice Hockey
Jack Stoddard, Duxbury -- Boys Golf
Alex Naumann, Everett -- Boys Ice Hockey
Michael Foley, Framingham -- Swim
Fred Jewett, Hingham -- Indoor Track
Jim Leonard, King Philip -- Softball
Phil Maia, Lowell -- Cross Country
David Duffy, Needham -- Football
Frank Carey, North Reading -- Baseball
Rick Kates, Notre Dame (Hingham) -- Outdoor Track
David Gianferante, Notre Dame (Hingham) -- Girls Golf
Kim Penney, Reading -- Girls Basketball
David Curley, Rockport -- Boys Soccer
Ed Scollan, Westford -- Boys Basketball
Leslie Frank, Westwood -- Girls Lacrosse

We updated our statewide MIAA Top 25 Girls Lacrosse Poll earlier this afternoon, before Wednesday's slate of games, and a familiar face has taken over the top spot.

Westwood, our preseason No. 1, has elevated back to the No. 1 spot for the first time since dropping their season-opener to Lincoln-Sudbury. The Wolverines' vault comes as the expense of previous No. 1 Notre Dame of Hingham, which lost to Andover last week. But for the second straight week, a team coached by a member of the Frank family is in the top spot; the Cougars are coached by Meredith Frank, daughter of legendary Westwood head coach Leslie Frank.

Needham moves into the No. 2 spot, while Lincoln-Sudbury (4) and Andover (5) round out the top five.

The other big mover of the week is Algonquin, which jumps up seven spots to No. 7 following its win over archrival Westborough, its first over the familiar foe since May 2008. It's the first time the Tomahawks have entered the Top 10 of the poll in the two-year history of ESPN Boston's high school section.

Also of note, Archbishop Williams (22) and Ashland (25) make their season debuts this week.

See if your team made the cut this week by CLICKING HERE.

ESPNHS updated its weekly "FAB 50" girls lacrosse poll, and for the first time all season long there are no Massachusetts teams represented.

Notre Dame of Hingham (previously No. 45) and Lincoln-Sudbury (48) both dropped out of the poll. Elsewhere, Connecticut power Greenwich hangs on in the poll at No. 45, down seven spots from last week's position. L-S, Notre Dame, Needham, and New Canaan (Conn.) all received votes this week.

To see the entire poll, CLICK HERE.

ESPNHS updated its national "FAB 50" girls lacrosse poll this morning, which you can view by clicking here.

Notre Dame of Hingham took the top spot in ESPN Boston's MIAA Top 25 poll yesterday. And today, they make their debut in the FAB 50 as the highest-ranked team from Massachusetts this week. The Cougars come in at No. 45, while Lincoln-Sudbury -- the team they beat to get here -- dropped 12 spots to No. 37.

Greenwich (Conn.) is the only other New England team represented on the poll, making its debut at No. 38.

Also receiving votes were Needham, New Canaan (Conn.), and Westwood, the latter of whom dropped out of the poll from No. 48.

We updated our statewide MIAA Top 25 Girls Lacrosse Poll this afternoon, and by unanimous decision we have a new No. 1.

Notre Dame of Hingham jumps up to the top spot from No. 5, after beating previous No. 1 Lincoln-Sudbury last week. It's the first time a team unhinged to a conference has taken the top spot in the poll (NDA currently plays an independent schedule).

This also marks a the first time in any poll in the history of ESPN Boston's High Schools section that we've had two teams coached by members of the same family take over the top spot in the same season. Leslie Frank's Westwood squad was the preseason No. 1 on ESPN Boston's poll; the Notre Dame Cougars are coached by Frank's daughter, Meredith.

L-S slides one spot to No. 2 with the loss to NDA. Rounding out the top five are Westwood (3), Needham (4) and Westborough (5). Returning to the poll this week are North Andover (21) and Bishop Fenwick (23).

NOTE: Monday's games were not accounted for in today's poll.

As always, let us know how we're doing in the comments section below, or by emailing Brendan Hall at bhall@espnboston.com.

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.”

We updated our statewide MIAA Top 25 girls lacrosse poll this afternoon, following this week's slew of April Vacation games, and for the second week in a row Lincoln-Sudbury holds down the top spot.

The top three remain unchanged, with Westwood staying at No. 2 and Andover No. 3, while Needham and Notre Dame of Hingham each moved up a spot following Longmeadow's loss to rival Minnechaug. The Lancers dropped four spots to No. 8 with the loss, its third to the Falcons in the last four meetings.

Elsewhere, Medfield makes a quantum leap into the poll, debuting at No. 12, while Masconomet (21) and Wayland (25) also make their season premieres.

See where your team lands this week by clicking here. As always, let us know how we're doing in the comments section below, or by emailing Brendan Hall at bhall@espnboston.com