Bow and Hopkinton – two of the most highly regarded girls’ lacrosse teams in Division III – each entered the 2022 season with the hope of carving out a path toward winning a championship over the two months.
So it’s only poetic – no, scheduling justice – that these two programs debuted the season by playing against one another. Why not start your season by playing against such a revered challenger?
On a windy, warm Tuesday afternoon, that’s exactly what each team gave to the other. The challenges came and went throughout a game that turned from potential blowout to overtime thriller, with the Hawks escaping Bow with a 13-12 victory.
Hopkinton held an 8-4 lead at halftime and closed out the opening 25-minute half with four consecutive goals, pinning the host Falcons into a corner and causing a return to the drawing board. The adjustments and message were simple – play your game.
Slowly, Bow began winning the draws, the aggression increased and, soon enough, the goals were tallying up. It started with Sara Gagne just 3:28 into the half with a shot near the crease, then Olivia Selleck managed to score while charging through the middle of the defense and hitting the ground simultaneously, with the ball snapping into the net.
Ava Kehas and Alex Larrabee scored a little over a minute apart and, with 13 minutes left in regulation, the game was knotted at 8-8.
Much like all good games do once they’ve reached a pinnacle moment, the intensity heightened and every possession felt like a final opportunity. The turnovers decreased and the back-and-forth goal scoring took center stage. First it was Sarah Chodosh from Hopkinton, then Bow’s Gagne, then Annie Higginbotham from Hopkinton and the Falcons’ Larabee.
Higginbotham, an all-state selection from last season, and Hannah Hoyt were vital to the Hawks’ success in Tuesday’s game and while the stat sheet is the easy showcase (seven combined goals, four combined assists), their play in transition and moving the ball upfield to generate the offense stuck out.
“Anytime the play is happening in the middle of the field, she’s around the ball,” Hopkinton coach Mike Zahn said. “(Higginbotham and Hoyt) have a good lacrosse IQ; they see the play before it happens, and they know where the ball needs to be.”
The scoring frenzy came to a head when Larrabee scored her third and final goal of the game with just over two minutes left in regulation to tie it at 12. Not only was that her last goal of the game, but also Bow’s as Hopkinton freshman Madi Zahn ended things with a shot to the left of the crease on a feed from Hoyt.
Tuesday’s game was a strong preview for two teams that boast talented players up and down the roster. Championships aren’t won in April, of course, but championship habits are made now, and the standard of play has been established early this year.
“This was the best two teams in the division matching up on day one of the season, in what looked like playoff lacrosse from the get-go,” Zahn said.