Abel, Polumbo Lead Mount Greylock Past Wahconah
DALTON, Mass. – Three days after taking its first loss of the season, the Mount Greylock girls lacrosse team Tuesday got back into the win column in a big way.
Sarah Polumbo and Ainsley Abel scored five goals apiece, and Christy Rech made four saves as the Mounties knocked off rival Wahconah, 16-6, to go to 5-1 on the season.
It was a return to the Valley League for Division 4 Mount Greylock after Saturday’s trip to Division 2 Minnechaug.
“We purposely scheduled games like [Minnechaug],” Mount Greylock coach Jeff Stripp said. “We have a few more on the schedule to allow us to play up two divisions, two classes. And they’re a great team.
“We put up a fight. The score was 11-4, but it’s not an indication of how we played. … We’re starting seventh and eighth graders, and they have a seventh grade team and an eighth grade team. We were really proud of our effort down there. And it’s a chance for me – because we got exposed at different times when you play better competition. And it helped us pick up on some things.
“That usually drives, ‘Hey, what are we going to work on next?’ And that’s exactly what we did the day following.”
Practice made nearly perfect in the first half on Tuesday as Mount Greylock scored eight straight goals to take a 9-1 lead into half-time.
After Ava Massaro scored in the eighth minute for Wahconah, it was all Mounties as Sarah Polumbo dominated the draws and the visitors turned those possessions into goals.
Abel scored three of those goals, and Meghan Lagerwall added three.
Lagerwall’s emergence could give Mount Greylock another dangerous complement to one of the best 1-2 combinations in Western Mass in Polumbo and Abel.
“It’s awesome to have more offense,” Stripp said. “We’re so excited for Meghan. She had a great game when we were down at Minnechaug on Saturday. And she grew up that day. I think she took what she learned against a really tough opponent and put those things into play today. It was awesome to see her.”
Addison Abel, Molly Cangelosi and Taley Drake each added a goal for Mount Greylock, and Lexi Politis had a team-high two assists in the win.
Wahconah (3-3) was able to keep the game from getting out of hand in the second half thanks in part to four goals from Olivia Roberts.
After the Mounties got the game to running time with an Ainsley Abel goal from Addison Abel to make it 12-2 with 20:13 left, Roberts scored three of the next seven goals, and Anna Doyle scored for Wahconah to get the game back to stop time with 4:53 on the clock.
Polumbo scored with 1:35 left to again make it a 10-goal margin and got the ensuing draw to allow Mount Greylock to run out the clock.
“I’m proud of the way the girls played,” Wahconah coach Kathy Budaj said. “This year is a rebuilding year. We’ve got a lot of young kids in the program, and they’re doing a lot of the right things.
“You saw in the second half what it can be. So, great game. … Polumbo and Abel, kudos to them. They’re great players. They’ve done the work. They play club. They deserve what they get. And Christie [Rech] in goal. Three players that are going to play good college lacrosse.”
Wahconah Monday heads to Chicopee Comp. Mount Greylock is home on Friday against Belchertown.