Nashua South girls lacrosse starts fast, never looks back in win over Manchester Central

NASHUA – The Nashua High School South girls lacrosse team just keeps chugging away.

The Panthers have turned some heads this spring with their most successful season under fourth-year coach Ciki McIntire, and that narrative continued on Wednesday afternoon at Stellos Stadium.

South’s upper-echelon talent was on full display in this one, as senior captain Elizabeth Harrington and junior captain Kirsten McIntire combined for 14 points during a 17-8 win over visiting Manchester Central.

The Panthers (10-5) came out with the mindset of a team in the midst of a crucial playoff push, as they raced out to a 9-0 lead and never looked back.

“Manchester Central is a tough competitor, and in the past we have had close games with them so we knew that we needed to get that lead early,” said Harrington, who has committed to playing lacrosse at Stonehill College. “After the first few goals we knew that we could not stop because we knew that they could come back at any time.”

Harrington (five goals, two assists) did a fantastic job reading Central’s defense, as she was constantly moving without the ball and made hard cuts through the lane. Kirsten McIntire (five goals, two assists), who has committed to playing lacrosse at Merrimack College, used her height to her advantage, sizing up smaller plays in front of the net.

One of the greatest qualities of Harrington and Kirsten McIntire is that they are unselfish stars. Making the extra pass has been a constant theme of the 2019 Panthers, as freshman Olivia Johnson (goal, four assists), junior Sarah Signorello (three goals) and junior Bailey Morin (goal, two assists) all starred in the win.

“It was great teamwork at both ends of the field,” said Ciki McIntire. “I thought the offense was very spread out, as the girls were looking to feed their teammates. It is easy to stop one person, but when they are unselfish and always looking to make that extra pass, it is really hard to stop.”

The Little Green (5-5) were led by senior Ryleigh Cavanaugh (four goals), senior Katelyn Parker (two goals, two assists), junior Emily Ahern (three assists) and junior Emma Dudley (two goals).

Harrington opened the game with two goals in the first 5:04, and then Kirsten McIntire found the back of the net three times in a period of 36 seconds, pushing the lead up to 5-0 with 18:09 remaining in the first half.

Central junior goalie Kasey Kfoury made an impressive save on a breakaway chance by Kirsten McIntire with 12:45 left, but then Harrington cut down the lane and Johnson found her, giving South a 7-0 lead with 10:56 on the clock.

After falling behind, 9-0, on a goal by Signorello with 9:15 left, Central started to show some life, as Cavanaugh buried three quick goals for the visitors, trimming the hosts’ lead down to 11-3 with 4:54 remaining. South, which led, 13-4, at halftime, took a 10-goal lead at 13-3, as Signorello picked the top-right corner off an over-the-shoulder feed by Johnson with 1:25 on the clock.

“We came out and we knew this was going to be a tough game,” said Harrington. “We made sure we were focused and put a lot of energy in during warm-ups.”

The Panthers did not let the Little Green get any type of momentum in the second half, as South came out of intermission and tallied the first three goals, extending the lead to 16-4 with 19 minutes left.

The Panthers are currently in the fifth spot in the Division I standings with three regular-season games remaining on the schedule. South tallied a huge 9-7 win on Monday against Londonderry, which was crucial because South quickly put an end to a two-game skid with losses on April 8 and 10 to Hollis Brookline and Bedford.

Next on the agenda for the Panthers will be a tough road test on Friday at 4 p.m. against Pinkerton (13-1). The Astros’ only loss of the season occurred on April 16 to Bishop Guertin, 16-12. Pinkerton is the only team to beat Bedford this year, as the squad accomplished the feat by a score of 15-11 on April 29.

 “These wins against Londonderry and Central have definitely given us a lot of confidence,” said Harrington. “Londonderry was a signature win because we have never beaten them since I have been here. That was huge confidence-booster, especially since we are playing Pinkerton on Friday.”