READING — There has never been a high school girls lacrosse team from The Salem News readership area to ever win an MIAA state championship.
The Ipswich Tigers, however, are now 48 minutes away from becoming the first local squad to ascend to the top of the mountain.
Senior captain Halle Greenleaf scored the game-tying and game-winning goals in a 39-second span with less than five minutes remaining as Ipswich notched the last four goals of the evening to stun top seeded Weston, 12-11, in a Division 4 state semifinal Monday on the turf at Reading High School’s Hollingsworth Stadium.
“It was a rush for sure,” Greenleaf, sporting an ice pack after a physical contest, said in describing her two fourth quarter tallies. She now has 49 goals and a team-best 91 points this spring. “I couldn’t have it without my teammates. There was passing involved, turnovers that got it to the attack and to me. It wasn’t just me; it was the whole team.”
Both Greenleaf and sophomore Allie Wile each scored twice in the fourth quarter and had four goals apiece for the game. Junior goalkeeper Emma Paquette stood tall at the other end, making 10 saves.
Improving to 19-1, the fourth seeded Tigers return to the Division 4 state final for a second straight season. There, they’ll face No. 3 Cohasset (18-3), which defeated Norwell, 11-9, in Tuesday’s other semifinal, for the crown Thursday (location and time TBA).
“Allie and Halle just took over,” IHS head coach Allison Tivnan said of the fourth quarter comeback. “I hope (Greenleaf) is going to be OK; she’s the toughest kid I know.”
Trailing by a goal at both halftime (6-5) and after the third quarter ended (9-8), the Tigers found themselves down by three, 11-8, with 8:43 remaining. But they remained steadfast and got a goal from Wile with 7:52 to go, then another from the 10th grade star with 6:39 remaining to slice the deficit to one.
“I just really wanted it; that’s the grit I have. I dug deep and found it,” the 16-year-old Wile, who has a team-leading 54 goals, said. “That’s been my motivation all season, our team’s motivation all season.”
Shortly afterwards, Tivnan inspired her team during a Weston time out.
“This is so fun! You guys are playing awesome!,” Tivnan excitedly shouted, rallying her team around her. “Let’s go out, keep having fun and win this thing!”
Her players took that message to heart. Paquette made her best save by turning away a point blank shot just outside her crease a minute later, resulting in the ball transitioning upfield into Weston territory. Greenleaf attacked the net and was fouled, earning a free position shot. She moved forward, faked a forehand and went to her backhand, sliding it past Wildcats keeper Abby Galton to tie the game with 4:42 left in regulation.
“We practice doing 8-meter (shots) at the end of every practice, and I always try to figure out what I’m going to do before I get up there,” said Greenleaf. “Once you start, you can tell what the goalie is like: what they can stop and what they can’t.”
Weston won the ensuing draw control but the Tigers caused a turnover to gain possession and move the ball upfield once more. With smart passing, the ball found the stick of sophomore Lyla Greenleaf (3 assists), Halle’s sophomore sibling. She hit her unmarked sister with a pass as the latter curled out back towards the Wildcat net and the senior didn’t hesitate, burying it for the Tigers’ first lead since the middle of the second quarter.
From there, Ipswich was able to drain the clock down behind some outstanding defensive work from Wile, Ella Stein (both of whom had huge caused turnovers) late, Avery Brown, Jade Wilcox, Lucy Donahue, Faith Hauenstein and Ella Stein.
Estelle Gromko and Halle Greenleaf scored twice each and Lucy Winthrop had one as the Tigers shot out to a 5-1 lead after one quarter. But Weston (17-5) responded with five unanswered second quarter goals to take a 6-5 lead. Olivia Scully Power had four of her team-high five goals in the opening half.
Tivnan believes it was the first time her team had been shut out in an entire quarter all season.
Both teams scored three times in the third quarter and Weston nabbed the first two of the final stanza before Ipswich produced the last four goals of the evening, putting them back in the state final.