WALPOLE — An old coach’s cliché goes that if a team is going to make mistakes, at least make them at full speed.
That was the quagmire for the Ipswich High girls lacrosse team in Thursday’s Division 4 state championship game. The pure speed and decisive quickness with which Cohasset played simply forced the Tigers to make a few too many mistakes.
An early barrage helped the No. 3 seeded Skippers assume command. While the fourth ranked Tigers made a few spirited comeback bids, ultimately Cohasset held on for a 14-9 win at Walpole’s Turco Field to win the Division 4 state title.
“They worked a little bit harder and were a little faster than we were,” said Tigers head coach Allison Tivnan. “It’s frustrating … but also, Cohasset is a super talented team that has been here before, won it before. They’re really skilled and they’re really good.”
Ipswich (19-2) was behind by six at halftime but got the first two goals of the third quarter to make it a 9-5 game. The Tigers secured possession and had four excellent looks at the net, one of which was saved, two of which sailed wide and one that bounce just in front of the crease and was cleared.
That sequence was the turning point. Cohasset scored twice in a 14-second span with 4:54 and 4:40 remaining in the third quarter to restore the lead. The Skippers (19-3 and state champions for the first time since 2019) added another with 3:38 left in the third, basically undoing all of the momentum Ipswich had built throughout most of the frame by going ahead 12-5.
“In girls lacrosse, if you get one stop every two possessions usually that’s really good,” said Tivnan. “Cohasset was doing that and we weren’t scoring. They’re quick, fast, have their sticks in air, are well coached and played disciplined.”
Sophomore Avery Regan led Cohasset with five goals and one assist while junior Libby Schiffmann and senior Laney Larsen scored three times each.
Ipswich goalie Emma Paquette had an outstanding game, making nine saves. Too often, the Tigers couldn’t come up with the loose ball following those saves and the Skippers took advantage of a second or third look at the cage.
On other occasions, the Skippers collected a turnover and whipped a long pass downfield for a quick answer.
“The speed is how we practice,” said Cohasset’s first-year head coach Joe Fitzgerald. “We sprint, we fast break and we don’t rest.”
Junior Lucy Winthrop scored two of her three goals in the fourth quarter, helping Ipswich cut it to 14-8 with 4:22 to go. Sophomore Allie Wile buried a free position chance for a 14-9 margin with 4:30 left, but the Skippers won possession and managed to run out the rest of the clock.
“We put up a good fight. We had a few bursts of strong play, but it wasn’t quite enough,” said Tivnan. “That’s one of the closest game’s they’ve had, certainly in the (state) tournament. We gave them a battle.”
Senior captain Halle Greenleaf also scored for Ipswich and played almost the entire game while nursing a badly bruised shoulder she suffered in the state semifinal win against top seeded Weston on Monday. Unbeknownst to most, she was also playing most of the season with a wrist injury and never missed a beat while leading with her trademark toughness and grit.
“I think everyone knows how banged up she was, and she was outstanding. She gave us everything she could and they were marking her really close,” said Tivnan. “She’s one of the toughest kids we’ve ever had.”
Jayne Krause had a goal and an assist for the Tigers, Lyla Greenleaf had two assists, and senior captain Ella Stein also had a hat trick, including the game’s first goal that gave Ipswich its only lead at 1-0.
“Ella was fantastic. As a senior captain, she left it all out there,” said Tivnan. “She really wanted this game. She was great on the draw. She did so much for us.”
Most of Cohasset’s success in the draw came in the first quarter during a 4-0 run following the Tigers’ initial strike. A late goal by Halle Greenleaf made it 4-2 after 12 minutes, but some turnovers in the second quarter helped the Skippers build a 9-3 lead that they never relinquished.
“We kind of threw (the ball) away. That’s the hardest part for me … we gave it to them a little bit,” said Tivnan. “We didn’t protect the ball as well as we did in our other games. It wasn’t our best game … but at the same time, Cohasset is a powerhouse.”
Senior captain Morgan Sexton led a tremendous effort on defense for Ipswich with Faith Hauenstein, Avery Brown and Jade Wilcox also playing well in terms of clogging lanes and making the Skippers work for their looks. Stein and Wile forced a couple of turnovers each.
The four Tiger seniors, Sexton, Halle Greenleaf, Stein and captain Estelle Gromko, reached consecutive state championship games and went 38-4 over the last two seasons. It was a remarkable run that won’t soon be forgotten by the Black-and-Orange’s passionate supporters.
“It’s a bummer for this group to go out with a loss, but I’m so proud of them. Super proud of the season,” said Tivnan, whose squad returns 8-of-12 starters. “It’s hard to talk about now because you hate to lose, but just getting back to a state championship games says a lot about our group. It was an amazing season.”