Old Lyme starts fast but comes up short in Shoreline girls' lacrosse final
Clinton — Old Lyme has made a habit of playing in the Shoreline Conference girls' lacrosse tournament final.
The Wildcats have made the championship game every season since the tournament started in 2015.
They ran into a tough customer in top-seeded North Branford on Thursday, losing 10-7 at the Indian River Recreation Complex.
Still, it was quite an accomplishment for the young Wildcats to keep their championship game appearance streak alive after suffering heavy graduation losses. They had won the two previous titles.
"There's definitely consistency with us getting to this game," coach Emily Macione said. "It shows a lot about how much work we put in. We had such a big group of seniors leave last year, losing 11 players. So we had a lot of spots to fill and the girls have really stepped up.
"The fact we got back here again against a tough Old Saybrook and a tough Valley within conference, bodes well for our future."
The Wildcats had no defensive answer for North Branford standout Jessie Kilburn, a dominating force. Kilburn, the Shoreline Conference player of the year, scored five goals.
Kilburn fired in two straight free position goals 50 seconds apart right before the end of the first half to hand North Branford the lead for good at 5-3.
"She's tough to defend," Macione said. "We tried switching up the draw and just marking her really tight. She finds ways to get open."
The Wildcats dropped both regular season meetings, losing by just one goal on Saturday.
"We had a lot of confidence coming off of Saturday's game because we felt that was a game we could have won," Macione said.
They put up a strong fight in the championship game. Junior Anna Sather and sophomore Lydia Tinnerello each scored a free position goal to give the Wildcats a 2-0 edge. But the lead didn't last, as North Branford dominated possession for long stretches and gradually surged ahead.
"We definitely had a great start," Macione said. "We came out intense and brought a lot of the stuff that we talked about in practice into the game right away. We had good momentum. Then they got a few goals.
"I think we're pretty evenly-matched teams. They definitely beat us on draw and that hurt. Possession is key obviously in girls' lacrosse. ... My girls gave a great effort today."
Sophomore Daisy Colvin and Tinnerello each finished with two goals while senior Emily Rivera and junior Paige Britton also scored for the Wildcats.
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