Above: EG’s Lexie Kavanaugh captures the mood with a team selfie after EG’s 13-11 win over Barrington 4/29/24.

By Tommy Sprague

The East Greenwich Girls Lacrosse team faced the Barrington Eagles Tuesday (4/30) at Victory Field in Barrington, one of the few remaining grass fields for varsity high school lacrosse in Rhode Island. Despite the challenging field surfaces and a 40-minute delay after a track meet hosted by the Eagles went long, the Avengers were ready to vindicate themselves after their first game of the season loss to the Eagles at home. 

Sophomore Lindsey Rowe took control of the opening draw right from the start, supported by teammates Lindsey Ziady and freshman Tessa Charello-Ingegneri at the circle, making it difficult for the Eagles to gain possession. EG ended the first quarter ahead by two, with goals scored by Charello-Ingegneri (3) and senior captain Julia Moore (1). However, Barrington regrouped in the second quarter, matching EG on the draw and capitalizing on the Avengers’ turnovers. Barrington’s offense surged, adding five more goals to the scoreboard to take the lead at halftime. EG’s Rowe and Ziady each managed to score additional goals, closing the gap, leaving the score at Eagles seven to the Avengers six going into the half.

Avengers’ head coach Haley McCuster O’Keefe rallied the team and made necessary halftime adjustments on both sides of the field with the aim of controlling the tempo and gaining momentum in the second half. The EG offense came out firing, with additional goals from standout Charello-Ingegneri (4), Ziady (1), junior Maeve Kiernan (1), and Rowe (1). Rowe’s goal sparked a team celebration, with players “Rowe-ing a boat” where they pretended to row to highlight her continuing impact on the game.

The entire EG team went on the defensive to protect their three-goal lead as the Eagles attempted a second-half comeback. Freshman goalie Ella Mercurio made a critical save with a minute left in the third quarter, frustrating the Barrington offense. Also helping turn the tide for EG, offensive and defensive players created multiple turnovers leading to possession. Juniors Olivia Prior and Maeve Kiernan both had mid-flight steals and the four-player attack crew of freshman Courtney Cavanaugh, junior Catherine Sprague, Moore, and Charello-Ingegneri coordinated for an impressive ride of Barrington’s offense, leading to three yellow cards against Barrington. This total team effort closed out the game and solidified an important win for the Avengers.

This much-needed momentum for the team comes as they prepare to face a string of challenging opponents. Fans are encouraged to come out and cheer for this exciting squad, which the Providence Journal has described as ‘sizzling’. EG’s next matchups at home will be Friday, May 3, at 4:30 p.m. against the Lincoln School and Saturday, May 4, at 3:30 p.m. against the Portsmouth Patriots.

Tommy Sprague lives in East Greenwich. Our thanks to him for covering Girls LAX. EG News is looking for similarly motivated sports enthusiasts to help us cover other EG sports. If you are interested, contact [email protected]. It’s a lot of fun!