The Westford Academy Girls’ Lacrosse team was knocked out of the playoffs today with a loss to the Concord Carlisle Patriots by a score of 14-9. While the game started off fairly even between both teams, CC stepped up to pull ahead and eventually win the game.

The still-brand new Memorial Field on the campus of Concord-Carlisle Regional High School contained fans from both teams, with most Westford parents sectioning themselves off into the oppostie bleachers of the hometown fans. The crowd was mainly upbeat and positive throughout the match.

The story of the first half was one of even competition for much of the period. CC got off to a good start and started off the scoring early grabbing the first two goals of the night and a 2-0 lead.

One theme that was obvious throughout the first half was the two offensive approaches each team was taking in order to create shots on goal. For the Patriots, the strategy was to rush the ball into the zone as quickly as possible and rip a shot on goal. For the Ghosts, the strategy was to work the ball around the offensive zone and hope to draw a penalty and earn better field position that way.

Largely, these strategies worked for both teams despite solid defense on both sides. WA found itself blocking shots and winning battles for the ball, and when all else failed, junior goalie Britta Cianciolo was able to stop any incoming offensive attacks on her net.

Scoring stars in the first half for WA was graduated senior Haley Cogliano , who scored twice, including a play in which she split the defense and scored, sophmore Mary Cadogan, senior Cat Mahanna, and senior Megan Lawlor.

Other notable events in the first half included solid saves from the CC goaltender as well as an injury delay for a CC player.

Both sides scored a handful of times each, and some stalemate was finally reached as the first half winded down. When the damage was done, the halftime score read a 6-6 tie.

The second half was a stark contrast to the even play of the first half. CC came out swinging and scored five unanswered goals before WA could break through to stop the bleeding. Cogliano scored her hat trick goal to make the score 11-7 in the second half.

Whether it was looking at the clock, talking to their coach, or hearing concerned fans in the stands, WA began to grow increasingly desperate to cut away at the large deficit their lax defense had created for them.

After a CC timeout to ice out the WA momentum, they scored once again to make the score 12-7.

The final few minutes of the game were the most tense anyone had been all season. With eight minutes left, WA scored to make the game 12-8 in favor of CC, but each attack was answered by yet another CC goal. Cogliano and Cadogan once again were at the forefront of these goals for the Ghosts.

As WA made their final push to save their season, the CC defense stood tall and blocked most attacks effectively. With CC scoring a bit more, the final score came out to 14-9, leaving WA students and parents alike shaking their heads in disappointment.

Concord Carlisle will advance to the East finals in Milford at 7pm on Friday night.