Short-Handed Girls’ Lacrosse Team Continues Winning Ways

The Narragansett High School girls’ lacrosse team used dominating attacks from senior Kiani Carroll and a great performance in goal by senior Caitlin Skenyon to hold on for an 8-7 win against Westerly on Monday afternoon.

Despite temperatures in the low-50s and a light drizzle at time, the Mariners played the entire game with just 12 players – no substitutions. Coach Kenneth Andronowitz said it was a situation born of necessity, thanks to the April vacation.

“With vacation, we have some people relaxing in the sun,” he said, laughing a bit. “The girls are working hard, even though they’re a couple down. I’m very proud of them.”

The Mariners were able to hold a one to three-goal advantage on the Bulldogs (1-2, 1-2 Division II-South) and never trailed thanks to the work of Carroll and Skenyon.

Despite being denied the ball almost the entire length of the field, Carroll took advantage of what limited opportunities she did get. The senior captain finished with all eight of Narragansett’s goals and scored almost every time she shot.

“She’s an exceptional player, what can I say?” Andronowitz said. “She just had a great game. Other teams key on her and she stills comes through.”

According to statistics kept by The Providence Journal, Carroll ranks fourth in scoring in the state with 24 points, and she is tied for second in goals with 23. Lincoln’s Jill DeSimone leads the state with 31 goals and six assists in four games.

While Carroll got the Mariners the lead thanks to sprints and controlling play from the midfield, Skenyon kept it for them despite an onslaught of shots from Westerly. She finished with 21 saves, including four on penalty opportunities for the Bulldogs.

Andonowitz said “that was the best game I’ve seen her play.”

Asked after the game about her performance, Skenyon agreed with her coach’s assessment.

“It was exciting, I was so pumped,” she said.

Skenyon added that she definitely thought the lack of substitutions focused her team’s efforts and intensity.

“I think everyone said, ‘Oh, I have to work my hardest,’” she said, adding that as the goalkeeper, she tried to remember what coaches had stressed to her over the years.

“My coaches always used to say you have to have the memory of a goldfish to play goal,” she said. “You kind of get used to the pressure.”

Things got a bit hairy for the Mariners in the final 12 minutes. Nursing a 7-5 lead, Westerly shifted to a more aggressive attack and scored with about 10:45 remaining.

However, Narragansett and Skenyon turned away attack after attack, using a timeout with 5:16 remaining to recover.

Under control and playing better defense after the timeout, the Mariners then received a big break, as a Westerly player earned her team’s third yellow with 4:56 left. Westerly played a woman down for the rest of the game, and Carroll scored her eighth and final goal 18 seconds after the penalty.

The Bulldogs scored their final goal with 10 seconds left, and their final shot came well after the whistle. Timing was on Narragansett’s side all day – The Bulldogs had another goal waived off after it came literally a second after the final whistle in the first half.

The Mariners are now 3-1 overall and in Division II-South play, tied with Tiverton for second place and a game behind Portsmouth. A game between Tiverton and Portsmouth from April 6 remains unreported to the RIIL though.

According to statistics kept at Rhode Island High School Sports, the start constitutes Narragansett’s best in several years, and a strong bounce-back from last year, when the school finished 0-12 in league play. In 2009, the Mariners went 4-8, and their last winning season was in 2006, with a 14-2 team when the current seniors were in seventh grade.

The Mariners play 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at Middletown (2-2, 2-2 Division II-South). For updates on the team, check out their blog, which is here.