BRANFORD, June 14, 2003 -- Fairfield scored three goals in the first three minutes of the second half to erase a 2-goal halftime deficit and overwhelm Hamden to win the Division II girls lacrosse state championship Saturday, 13-10.
"In the second half we were really matched up with them," Fairfield coach Jodi Kuczarski said to the Connecticut Post. "Everywhere they were, we were." Fairfield, which received five goals from Gillian Haskell finished 15-5.
Hamden (14-8) 6 4 -- 10
Fairfield (15-5) 4 9 -- 13
Goals: H - Jen Hudak 4, Melissa Fertiguena 3, Kim Pronto, Andrea Omerso, Carrigen Murphy; F -- Gillian Haskell 5, Sarah Arnold 3, Laura Valentine 3, Meg Greco, Kate Pratt; Assists: H -- Hudak, Fertiguena 2, Lea Giaquinto, Lauren Albert; F -- Arnold 3, Valentine, Greco.
Wilton stuns No. 1 Greenwich, Darien marchs into Div. I final
Wilton senior goalie Megan Orr made 12 saves as the Warriors stunned top-ranked Greenwich, 10-8 in the Division I semifinals. Greenwich (18-1-1) hit the post five times. ... Darien scored three times in overtime to beat No. 2 Conard in the other Division I semifinal, 7-4. Eliza Bennett had four goals for Darien in the victory.
Notes: First FCIAC title since 1994 for Greenwich, now 17-0-1. Greenwich rallied from 6-goal halftime deficit to beat New Canaan in semifinals. Wilton slips to 13-4. ... Barlow improved to 19-2 while New Fairfield slipped to 15-4 ... In the SCC Division 2 game, tournament most valuable player Shannon Stratton scored five goals to lead No. 2 seed West Haven (11-6) to a 7-6 overtime win over top seed Hamden (11-7). Stratton scored the tying goal to force overtime and the game-winning goal in the extra sessions. ...Melissa McGow put on an offensive clinic in the SCC Division I championship, scoring the game's first four goals in the first five minutes to lead top seed Branford (16-1-1) to a 10-3 win over second-seeded Cheshire (13-3-2). ... NFA's Emily Constant, a senior, collected two goals and added two assists in NFA's 14-6 win over East Lyme, but it was her defense and leadership that earned her MVP honors, and her team its second straight ECC title. NFA improved to 13-4 while East Lyme slipped to 14-2.
2003 Connecticut High School Girls Lacrosse Association (CHSGLA) state tournament
CIAC to host girls lacrosse tournament in 2004
Norwalk Hour
The CIAC will begin to sponsor girls lacrosse beginning in the spring of 2004. It will take over the state tournament from the Connecticut High School Girls Lacrosse Association, which has overseen the growth of the sport in the state.
"There are 52 varsity teams in the state now," New Canaan coach Mike Bird, who is the FCIAC girls lacrosse chairman and former state tournament director, told the Norwalk Hour. "The (CHSGLA) is understaffed to handle that. The volunteers are great, but it can't handle that much volume.
"This is absolutely the right thing to do," Bird told the Hour. "There is a legitimacy that comes with being sponsored by the CIAC. The (CHSGLA) did a great job, but the sport needs this to get to the next step. We needed this. It gives the sport an air of legitimacy to the schools that may have been on the fence about starting a varsity program."
6 4 -- 10