HINGHAM — With town pride on the line, Notre Dame Academy (Hingham) dominated from the start, taking a 13-3 girls lacrosse victory over Hingham High School.
The Cougars scored 11 goals in the opening half, holding the Harborwomen scoreless over the same period. Much of this was due to relentless pressure that disrupted any breakout opportunities for Hingham. NDA coach Meredith Frank McGinnis said that this was a priority for her team going into the game.
“We’re really focused on being able to contain,” McGinnis said. “When you are able to do that, you are available to apply a little more pressure, and that worked really well for us today.”
McGinnis said that the team had also been working on fundamentals and she was happy with the execution.
“Draw controls continue to be a point of emphasis for us,” McGinnis said. “We were really strong on that today and it made a huge difference.”
Jane Hilsabeck, a Hingham resident, broke the gates open just a few minutes into the game after charging from the defensive zone and firing a blistering shot on net. The junior midfielder said the opportunity to play against her hometown added some extra motivation.
“It’s always super fun to play them,” Hilsabeck said. “I know a lot of the girls on the team, and they are all super nice. It’s a fun rivalry and they prepare us for upcoming tough games.”
She would add two more goals in the first half, notching the hat trick. She credited her teammates and the fluidity on all three phases of the field as huge factors in her offensive success.
“It really started with our defense,” Hilsabeck said. “We had a lot of caused turnovers and the goalies made saves when they needed to. We all played well today.”
Senior Alexa Kenney was able to score four goals in the opening half, many coming off quick cut moves. The Boston College commit said the team’s attitude going into games helps them come out strong.
“We always come in with a mindset of anything could happen,” Kenney said. “No matter what the rankings say, we go in thinking we are the underdog and that helps us reach our full potential.”
Siobhan Colin collected a hat trick and the Cougars received single strikes from Paige Foraste and Elizabeth Dillon. Three Hingham strikes within the final few minutes rounded out the scoring for the day.
The defending Division 2 champions remain among the top programs in the state as they head into a competitive section of the schedule that includes reigning Division 1 champion Westwood.
“The ball moved today really nicely,” Kenney said. “Everyone chipped in on offense today, everybody was a threat. We played really well.”