The game of scholastic girls’ lacrosse has made a lot of leaps since the days of the infinite boundary, specific names for each of the 11 field positions for each player (“third home,” anyone?) and the occasional tree or long-jump pit being part of the field.
As the game of lacrosse has gotten more and more sophisticated at the adult and elite levels, you’re seeing a lot more high-level tactics — the zone ride, doubling and pressing while the other team is on the power play, and interpassing that would have been unheard of until a few years ago.
You saw a lot of the latter as Darien (Conn.), the No. 3 team in the TopOfTheCircle.com Top 10, visited South Huntington St. Anthony’s (N.Y.), the No. 1 team, in an interstate showdown last evening.
The two teams traded goals for the first 36 minutes, playing to an 8-all draw after three quarters.
But then, SA goalie Jessica Black and attacking midfielder Katherine Rathjen exerted themselves, as the Friars outscored Darien 5-0 in the final frame to take a 13-5 win.
Rathjen was a force on the day, as she had a number of key goals down the stretch as well as winning the draws in the center of the park.
If there was one factor that drove this result, it was St. Anthony’s defensive midfield. On at least four occasions in the last quarter, Darien turned the ball over against pressure that forced their ball-carriers against the sideline.
Darien senior midfielder Caleigh Cummiskey had a fine all-around game for the Blue Wave as they kept with the Friars.