HINGHAM – When crosstown rivalries involve two of the state’s best, the drama is high.
Sadie Lopez, Caroline Haggerty and Taylor Watts each registered a hat trick Monday as Notre Dame Academy (Hingham) pulled away in the second half for an impressive 10-4 lacrosse victory over arch-nemesis Hingham.
“I think we just try to play together,” Haggerty said afterward. “We have to dig deep, and take it one day at a time. Playing together for each other is the main goal, not worrying about the noise.”
It was an incredible matchup on paper between two schools separated by less than three miles. Notre Dame (11-3) entered as the third-ranked team in the Boston Herald’s latest girls lacrosse top 25, with Hingham (8-5) ranked 13th.
With the game’s opening draw came dense fog, and chilly temps to boot. The conditions played a role in the early going, with both schools struggling to find the cage. 5:25 bled off the clock before Lopez drew a free position shot. She ended the scoring drought with a snipe as Notre Dame jumped ahead 1-0.
However, in a trend that would carry on throughout the first half, Hingham responded when Grace Maroney buried the equalizer to make it 1-all 1:17 later, a score that would stand well into the second quarter.
With 5:13 left in the half, Lopez slipped through the teeth of the defense, and skipped a shot into the corner of the net to make it 2-1 for the Cougars. In short order, Hingham answered as Neely Sgobbo found twine to tie it at 2-2 with 2:42 left in the second quarter.
Then, with 1:15 to play in the half, Lopez completed the hat trick to provide Notre Dame a 3-2 advantage at the break.
“I think it’s really just my teammates working for me,” Lopez said. “All of us working together. When we score, it’s for everyone. We’re just trying to win as a team.”
Once the third quarter began, however, the Cougars rattled off six unanswered goals, as senior captain Caroline Haggerty tallied three goals. Meanwhile, junior midfielder Taylor Watts recorded a hat trick herself as Notre Dame broke things open by seizing a 9-2 lead with 8:43 left to play.
“Just a couple of extra possessions (made the difference) I think,” said Notre Dame coach Meredith Frank McGinnis. “(Hingham has) so much offensive firepower, and they’re so strong with the ball. We just needed to win a couple of possessions, and get shots on the cage.”
Ani Woodard added a late goal for Notre Dame.
Sgobbo finished with a hat trick herself to pace Hingham.
“I think we expect all of our players to be significant contributors, regardless of injuries,” Frank McGinnis said. “We want everybody who steps onto the field to be confident that they can impact the game.”