Meczywor, Hoosac Valley Open with Win at Pittsfield
PITTSFIELD, Mass. – Hoosac Valley girls lacrosse coach Molly West wondered how her team will look in just its second outdoor action of the spring.
It did not take long for the Hurricanes to answer those questions.
Jacinta Felix scored in the second minute of the game, and Hoosac Valley reeled off 10 straight first-half goals en route to a 16-4 win over Pittsfield in Thursday’s season opener.
Emma Meczywor scored eight goals and set up four more. Ashlyn Lesure recorded nine assists, and Felix finished with four goals at Gene Dellea Field at Berkshire Community College.
“Our core of Emma, Ash, Jacinta and Maryn [Cappiello] … really do a great job of controlling both sides of the field,” West said after the win. “I’m super excited about Reagan Shea adding into that mix. She played last year and got a lot of time, and I think this year her confidence is growing.”
Shea, a ninth-grader scored a pair of goals, and sophomore Layla Brooks added a goal in the win.
“I was a little nervous today because, you know, we’ve been in the gym,” West said. “We’ve been outside once. I wasn’t sure what I was going to see. We haven’t really haven’t done much defensively, but I think Mallory Mazzeo and Abby Percey did a really great job defensively, communicating with some of our younger kids, just kind of helping them with position.”
After Felix scored off a turnover in the offensive zone to give Hoosac an early lead, Pittsfield ninth-grader Ella Kroboth answered at the other end to make it a 1-1 contest with 9 minutes, 40 seconds left in the first quarter.
Hoosac Valley then took control of the game.
Meczywor scored on a free position. Shea converted an assist from Lesure, and Meczywor scored an unassisted goal to put the Hurricanes ahead, 4-1, midway through the first quarter.
Pittsfield keeper Hannah Kickery (seven saves in three quarters) stopped a couple of shots to keep it a three-goal margin at the end of the period.
But Hoosac Valley scored seven times in the second quarter to go ahead, 11-1.
Madeline Rawling scored with an assist from Kroboth to snap the run in the final minute of the half and get the game back out of running time.
“We definitely have some work to do, but I’m encouraged with our season so far,” Pittsfield coach Kim Madden said. “I mean, this is probably our hardest game of the year. They’re a tough team. They always have been.”
Madden is happy to welcome a big ninth-grade class that includes Kroboth (two goals, one assist) as well as junior transfer Eliza Mullen, who started but left the game but took an awkward fall late in the second quarter; Mullen left the field on her own power after a visit from the trainer but did not return.
Hoosac Valley sent the game back to running time four minutes into the second half when Felix scored with an assist from Meczywor to make it 12-2.
It was a 12-goal margin going to the fourth quarter, and that was where it stayed after a pair of goals from each team.
Laniyah Gregory played the fourth quarter in goal for Pittsfield and stopped a pair of shots.
Kennedy Whitely made six saves to earn the win for Hoosac Valley.
The Hurricanes (1-0) are scheduled to go to McCann Tech on Tuesday.
Pittsfield (0-1) is back at BCC on Monday to host Chicopee Comprehensive.