Senior Bridget Szawlowski grabs the first draw of the game and starts the Devils off. Here she looks for a feed to Julia Sullivan to start the Devil comeback in the second half.
With the notion that the South Hadley Tigers were a tough team, the Devil's came out strong off the first draw. In just ten short seconds, Northampton's Bridget Szawlowski gained possession and put past a shot for the Devil's. Shortly after, South Hadley was able to fight back and tie the score at 1-1. A battle in the midfield created a fight for the loose ball and the Tigers came out on top of the skuffle. South Hadley set a series of picks to leave number 14 open in the center to score another goal for the Tigers. In the following ten minutes, South Hadley proved they wanted the win by owning ground balls and running through to maintain possession.
Sophomore Johanna Flemming goes coast to coast as she steps it up in both the defensive and offensive ends.
It took a while but Northampton finally gained momentum in the end of the first half by scoring two goals by Emily King and Bridget Szawlowski. King's goal was assisted by her sister Erin King, and Szawlowski's goal was unassisted. Although Northampton's defense was tough, South Hadley's number 18 (Kelsey Davey) was just too fast and was able to shoot high and put another one past Northampton's goalie. Halftime score 4-6 Tigers.
Coach Biggs discusses fundamentals with South Hadley Coach Hedges after the game.
Coming out of halftime, Northampton wasn't ready to let the Tigers take the game yet. The Devil's were quick off the draw once again when Johanna Fleming gained possession from the loose ball. She was able to make the connection with Bridget Keefe who made the cut through the eight, to start the second half off with another goal for the Devil's. The Tigers answered immediately with another goal by top scorer Kelsey Davey. After that goal something clicked for Northampton as they had a three goal attack against the Tigers, making the score 8-7 Devil's. The Tigers regained their momentum to push back with another four goals before the final buzzer. Final score 11-8 Tigers.