Big Weekend for Bants!

We capped off spring break with two big wins, the first against Colby on the road and then a good finish with Skidmore at home on Sunday. It was a great culmination of a week's worth of focused preparation and team bonding. We are looking forward to a challenging week ahead with a non-conference game against Union and then a conference match-up against Williams on Saturday. Before we completely move on, we'll revel in the accomplishments of this past weekend...

The team was really excited to face conference rival, and 2-time defending NESCAC champion, Colby. It was a match-up of the #6 (Trinity) and #7 (Colby) ranked teams. We knew going in that this would be our biggest test of the season, and it did not disappoint.

The biggest success on the day was our tremendous defensive effort. We had another great first-half where we held Colby to one lone goal for the entire 30 minutes. Liz Bruno had a standout performance with 6 caused turnovers on the day and Annie, Carrie, Emma, Liza and Gina were huge in shutting down the Colby offense while also safely transitioning the ball upfield.

Our offense was equally successful, finding the back of the net on five different occasions, sparked early by Rachel's first two tallies of the game. Remer, Kaitlin and Kristin added to the total, chipping in with goals spread out evenly over the last 15 minutes of the half.

The second half Colby came alive and we did a good job of responding to their first run. They scored the first two goals of the half and then we went on our own 2-goal run, thanks to Remer and Bruno with some nice finishes in front of the cage. With a 7-3 margin, Colby really tightened the screws and started to control the center draw opportunities. We struggled to gain possession and had a few costly turnovers that resulted in some scoring plays for the Mules. Ultimately, they went on a 4-0 run and tied the game up at 7-7. During this run, we had several yellow cards and several players leave the field for minor injuries. It was a hectic point in the game for us and Colby took full advantage.

Once we were even numbers and injury free, we were able to gain possession of the next draw and Lenny converted on a great pass from Remer for the go-ahead goal with just over 5 minutes to play. Kaitlin did a great job of winning the next draw and we were able to possess the ball for nearly the entire 5 minutes left in the game. Colby did manage to force a turnover with 1 minute remaining but their hopes to tie the game were dashed when Remer came up with a HUGE interception with just 30 seconds to go. Remer had an outstanding effort on the day, factoring in all over the field and helping us play our best game yet!

Sunday's game was tough to prepare for after such a high intensity game in Maine. We were able to regroup and after 5 minutes of less than stellar play, with Skidmore beating us 3-2. We finally found our groove and were able to stretch out a ten goal lead by the half. Notable performances on the day were Hadley's four goal contribution, Maddy's great catches in transition and two goal tally, Hillary's first collegiate goal, Joy's blocked passes and Lauren's steady transition from the defensive end.

We are enjoying a well deserved rainy day off today and we get back to preparation mode on Tuesday as we get ready to take on Union in Schenectady, NY at 5pm on Thursday. Thanks to the parents for all of your support this weekend and for the delicious sandwiches in Maine and the unbelievable turkey on Sunday!

Team Building at West Hartford Reservoir!

Trinity Continues Strong Play with Win over Bowdoin

It was another beautiful day for lacrosse on Saturday, as the Bantams took on NESCAC foe Bowdoin. Anticipating a strong Bowdoin squad, the team was determined to come out firing and not let the Polar Bears into the game. The Bantams did just that, keeping Bowdoin off the scoreboard for the entire first half, while putting up 8 goals in the process. The second half started off well, with Trinity pulling away with a 12-1 lead. Bowdoin was able to close the gap to five, but that was as close as it would get, as the time ran out with the scoreboard reading 14-9 in Trinity’s favor.

The defense was anchored by goalie Steph Fisher, who came up with 7 saves in the first half, and 3 in the second, to finish the tremendous effort with 10 saves. Senior Annie Cook and sophomore Liza Beckler played tough defense on some speedy Bowdoin attackers, combining for 6 caused turnovers and 4 ground balls. Sophomore Liz Bruno and captain Sarah Remes contributed to the defensive effort with a combined 7 caused turnovers, while picking up 2 ground balls apiece. Remer also came up big on defensive free positions, blocking at least two Bowdoin attempts.

In addition to her stellar defensive play, Remer scored the first goal of the game and added two assists, one of which was a nice pass to Caite Irvine. Caite had a standout game for the Bants, leading the squad in points as she finished with 4 goals and 1 assist. Senior Kristin Phelps played a huge part in the offensive effort, scoring 4 goals. Her last two were timely, as Bowdoin had started to mount a comeback to make the score 12-6 with eight minutes left. Kristin dashed Bowdoin’s hopes by scoring two pretty goals with seven and two minutes left, respectively, to seal the win. The girls were very happy to celebrate the win with another amazing tailgate. Thank you to all the families and friends for the great food, it is very much appreciated!

Although we’re in for a few chilly, rainy days, the girls are excited to be on spring break. We have a fun team bonding activity planned for Wednesday, as well as a joint team dinner with the men’s team on Wednesday night. After playing three games last week, this week should be a nice break in the action before we travel to Colby on Saturday and then return on Sunday to play non-conference Skidmore.

Bants Post Big Win Over Nationally Ranked Endicott

It was a beautiful sunny day last Wednesday, perfect for the first home game of the season. The beautiful weather was matched by the Bantams fantastic play and excellent team work. The final score was 17-5 and it was truly a team effort. Eight different attackers contributed, lead by seniors Kristin Phelps and Sarah Remes who recorded 4 goals apiece. Rachel Romanowsky chipped in 2 goals as well as an assist along with Liz Bruno and Meghan Leonhard who each had two tallies. First year Hadley Duncan recorded her first collegiate goal, junior Caite Irvine added a goal and assist and senior Jenn Calver added a goal to the impressive total. The teams traded goals early in the game and the score was knotted at 2 until Sarah Remes sparked a 12 goal run that would put the Bantams ahead for good.
Sophomore Steph Fisher anchored the solid defensive effort from goal recording 8 saves on the day as well as helping out her defense coming up with one ground ball. Seniors Annie Cook and Carrie Wolcott lead the stingy defensive effort and got great play from juniors Kayla Lawson and Emma Lynch and sophomores Liz Bruno and Liza Beckler.
The team effort continued and everyone who was healthy enough was able to make it into the game and contribute. It was a GREAT day to be a Bant and everyone enjoyed being part of such a total team effort.

A Strong Start for the Bants over Connecticut College, 17-6

The Bantams started off the season with a convincing win over the Camels, despite less than desirable playing conditions. Although it was a rainy and windy day in New London, the team was focused and excited for the first contest of the season. The teams traded goals early in the first half, with junior Alisen Urquhart and rookie Megan Leonhard scoring two goals apiece to take a 4-3 lead. The Bantams settled into the game after that, winning 11 of 14 draw controls, three by senior Annie Cook, and taking a commanding 11-4 lead into halftime.

The Bantams continued their strong effort in the second half, with midfielder Liz Bruno coming up with three draw controls to go with five ground balls and two caused turnovers. Kristen Phelps started the scoring in the second half with her second goal of the game, and completed her hat trick a few minutes later with a nice goal off a feed from Rachel Romanowsky. It was one of three assists for Rachel, who finished with four goals to total seven points. Megan finished with five goals, while first year Kaitlin Hildebrand debuted with a goal and an assist. The Bantam attack employed a variety of offensive skills, scoring on fast breaks and settled plays, as well as three free positions.

Trinity was solid on defense as well, allowing only eight shots. Sophomore Steph Fischer anchored the defensive effort from goal, successfully starting the transition on every clear. After the first ten minutes of the game, the defense settled into play and did not allow the Camels to get back in the game.

After a weekend of rain and wind, we are excited for a week of beautiful weather to host our first home games, starting with Endicott on Wednesday at 5:00 PM and then preparing for our NESCAC foe Bowdoin on Saturday.

Pre-Season Update

This season has begun and we are officially done with pre-season! The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of testing, try-outs, double sessions, indoor practices, hosting our youth clinic, scrimmaging, running hard, playing hard and getting better everyday. The 2010 squad has been assembled after a very competitive try-out and we could not be happier with the way things have been coming together.
This past weekend we were at Amherst and scrimmaged both the Lord Jeffs and the Ephs from Williams. While it was a running clock and no one was keeping score we were very happy with the way the team looked and the unofficial stats kept by our two grad assistants, Mish and Julia, point to W's in the win column which everyone was pleased about.
This week will be spent preparing for our first game against Connecticut College. As always it is sure to be tough battle with both teams kicking off their seasons looking to start off on a winning note. And of course a win puts us one step closer to keeping the Connecticut Cup in Hartford another year, it has grown quite accustomed to its place in the office 4 years running now.

We are excited to announce the 2010 roster. We return an impressive group from last season and have added to the mix a large and talented first year class. The expectations are high but from what has been displayed so far both in practice and during our scrimmages there is no doubt this team will live up to them.

Hope to see many of you at our first game, Saturday at Conn. College, 12:00!

2010 Trinity Bantams:
4 Jenn Calver Sr. A Barnard, Vt./Holderness (N.H.)
5 Annie Cook Sr. D/M Washington, D.C./Holton-Arms
7 Mallory Hinman Fy. D Longmeadow, Mass./Longmeadow
8 Emma Lynch Jr. D Washington, D.C./Stone Ridge
9 Caite Irvine Jr. A Westwood, Mass./Hotchkiss (Conn.)
10 Haley Thompson Fy. M/A Ipswich, Mass./Pingree
11 Rachel Romanowsky Jr. A Hampstead, N.H./Derryfield
12 Megan Leonhard Fr. M Summit, NJ/St. George’s (RI)
13 Kristin Phelps Sr. A/M Sudbury, Mass./Lincoln-Sudbury
14 Carrie Wolcott Sr. D/M Hamilton, Mass./Groton
15 Alisen Urquhart Jr. M Redding, Conn./Joel Barlow
16 Kayla Lawson Jr. D North Andover, Mass./Phillips Academy
17 Liz Bruno So. M Andover, Mass./Brooks
18 Kaitlin Hildebrand Fy. A Berwyn, PA/Conestoga
19 Sarah Remes Sr. M Silver Spring, Md./National Cathedral
20 Joy Finnen Fy. D Chatham, N.J./Chatham
23 Lauren Slattery Fy. D Westford, Mass./Westford Academy
24 Liza Beckler So. D Potomac, Md./Stone Ridge
25 Madeleine Hardy So. A Topsfield, Mass./Masconomet
27 Hadley Duncan Fy. A/M Rye, N.Y./Holy Child
30 Steph Fisher So. G Brunswick, Maine/Brunswick
32 Liv Whitney Fy. G Danvers, Mass./Pingree
34 Gina Dinallo So. G West Hartford, Conn./William H. Hall