WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — Hartford High played down some players in a VPA Division II girls lacrosse matchup at Alumni Athletic Complex on Wednesday afternoon, and Brattleboro High took full advantage, handing the Hurricanes their third straight loss, 15-6.
After a tightly contested first quarter, the Bears outscored the Canes 6-1 in the second frame to take a commanding 9-3 lead into halftime and pretty much never looked back.
Junior Paisley Danaher and freshman Bella Lombardi accounted for all of Hartford’s goals, each finding the back of the net three times in a contest that saw the Canes short six seniors because of “career and technology graduation,” Head Coach Peter Vanderpot said.
Despite the skeleton crew, Vanderpot, in his first season heading up the Canes, said that it was no excuse. “It was a kind of an all hands on deck deal, but you still have to play the game, so it is what it is,” he said.
Additionally, the Canes’ bench boss noted that the game served as a glimpse into the future, with some members of the junior varsity squad serving as substitutes.
“It’s giving some kids from JV an opportunity… so give some of the younger kids a chance at the varsity team and just really getting a look for what next year is going to look like,” Vanderpot said.
Trailing by six heading into the second half, the Canes would start to wake up. Although Brattleboro opened the scoring in the third quarter to go up 10-3, the frame largely belonged to Hartford.
Danaher cut into her squad’s deficit with 10:41 remaining in the third quarter and added another goal about three minutes later. Then, at the 5:51 mark in the frame, Lombardi found the back of the net off a restart to make the game 10-6 and continue building on the Canes’ momentum.
However, Hartford’s rally in the third quarter would not continue, thanks in large part to Brattleboro sophomore goalie Evalina Forchion, who made some key stops to keep her squad’s lead at four headed into the fourth quarter.
In the contest’s final 12 minutes, the Bears owned possession and bled the clock, adding five goals in the process to lock down the victory.
The loss drops the Canes to 4-7 on the season, but Vanderpot does not necessarily seem to take stock in the old adage from NFL Hall of Famer Bill Parcells in that “you are what your record says you are.”
Notably, the Canes have played a heavy Division I schedule, facing four such opponents so far and winning once with two more D-I foes to come — something different from past seasons, Vanderpot said. Hartford is otherwise 3-4 in D-II.
“Our record really doesn’t reflect what they’re capable of, and we’ve been pretty competitive with some of them — so I think we’ll be well-tested going into the playoffs,” he said.
The Canes host Middlebury on Friday at 6:30 p.m. and close the regular season on Saturday at 11 a.m. at home against Bellows Free Academy-St. Albans.
