Sometimes the problem with having a big powerful offensive engine is compromising fuel efficiency. The Guilford girls’ lacrosse team had all the muscle under the hood needed to compete with Cheshire in the Southern Connecticut Conference final, but expending the majority of its gas to close an early three-goal deficit left the Indians riding on fumes in the second half.

The Indians were playing their best lacrosse of the season as the playoffs got underway two weeks ago. Winners of nine of 10 heading into the SCC Tournament, No. 2-seeded Guilford cruised its way through the opening two rounds, knocking off No. 7 Amity 16-7 on May 21 and then beating cross-town rival and No. 3 seed Hand in the semifinals on May 23. By virtue of those two wins, the Indians earned a date with No. 1-seeded Cheshire in the conference final at Branford on May 25. The Rams opened with a quick three-goal lead, and despite a heroic effort by junior Riley Smith, Guilford’s tank hit ‘E’ just over five minutes into the second half as the Indians lost 18-9.

“When we first went down 3-0, we knew we had to come out stronger,” said Smith, who scored six goals in the game. “Once we got the lead I thought we had it, but we just kind of fell apart.”

While the conference final was the Indians’ biggest game of the season, they had an opportunity to avenge the loss in the opening round of the Class M State Tournament. Guilford was the No. 8 seed entering states, hosting No. 9 Darien on May 31, but fell 15-4, ending its season.

“We knew we were going to have our hands full; Darien is a very good team and probably not deserving of a No. 9 seed,” Guilford Coach Craig Vedrani said. “We tried to play our best game and I thought we did well, but they are from a different league and probably the best team we’ve faced all season.”

Smith had two goals and an assist in that game, while Leigh Rooney and Julianna Molloy each found the back of the net once.

Against Cheshire in the conference final, the Indians showed the offensive firepower that carried them to a 12-4 record in the regular season and earned them a top seed in both the SCC and state tournaments. However, it was Cheshire—which beat Guilford 12-9 on April 19—that proved to have an unmatched combination of power and performance. The Rams stormed out of the gates, netting two goals in the first 50 seconds and building a 3-0 lead by the 13:43 mark.

Guilford showed it had the acceleration to catch up with just about anyone as two goals by Smith and another by Marine Jacobs cut the Cheshire lead to 4-3 with 11:43 to play in the first half.

Molloy and Smith tacked on two more scoring strikes in the first half, but Cheshire’s offensive attack kept the pedal to the metal going into the break with a 7-5 lead.

“[Cheshire] is very good in the midfield and they put a lot of pressure on us,” said Vedrani. “They have a solid defense, too, and they have girls who can score. They are just a good team overall. Hats off to them; they deserve it.”

Still, in the second half, Guilford amped up the RPMs as Smith scored three-straight goals to give the Indians their first lead of the day, 8-7, with 20:05 remaining.

“We played our game and got the momentum,” Smith said. “We got it off the draw and we kept scoring. Overall, it was getting the ball off the draw that got us back into it.”

Performances like the one Smith put on in the second half have become a staple of this team.

“She is just a competitor. She just knows how to win. She tried her heart out there and played great,” said Vedrani said. “We just didn’t have enough to beat them, that’s all.”

Smith’s streak used up all the gas the Indians had while Cheshire put its offense on cruise control, scoring 10 of the next 11 goals to claim the title. Senior Leigh Rooney—who had also had an assist—added the final tally for the Indians, scoring off a free-position shot with 4:33 left to play.