BURLINGTON — A third time was indeed the charm for Woodstock girls lacrosse.
Appearing in their second VPA Division II final in four seasons and seeing U-32 as final-four opposition for the third time in the same time frame — but seeking their first state title in 10 years — the top-seeded Wasps finally walked the aisle in white after downing the second-seeded Raiders, 11-6, on a cloudy Sunday afternoon at UVM’s Virtue Field.
Woodstock trailed 6-5 at halftime but tied the game just 19 seconds into the second half and ran off five more goals to take an 11-6 lead that held through the fourth quarter.
“Incredible,” Woodstock coach Amanda Hull said of her immediate feeling, pausing for a brief moment to soak in the emotions. “These girls worked so hard, and they wanted this so bad, and they deserve it.”
Senior midfielder Aleks Cirovic scored four goals — including the tying tally — to lead the Wasps in her final game. Cirovic, whose younger sister Betta also scored, was one of the several players to face the Raiders in the 2023 D-II final (an 8-4 win for U-32), as well as the 2024 semifinals (also to U-32, 13-10).
“We kept telling each other, third time’s the charm on the way up here,” Cirovic said. “We knew we wanted this, we knew that we wanted to win.”
Woodstock’s strong record and previous result against U-32, a 20-10 win on May 13, indicated a less than competitive final, and the first few minutes played to that script. Sarea Beardsley gave Woodstock the lead inside a minute with a powerful wrap-around shot before Victoria Johnson doubled the Wasp advantage 27 seconds later on the break.
The rout was delayed, however, as U-32 powered straight off the draw to cut the lead in half in just 22 seconds, and tied the match a few minutes later. Woodstock re-established the two-goal cushion to close the quarter.
The lead stretched to three as the younger Cirovic scored early in the second quarter, but U-32 had its strongest counterpunch of the day with a long 4-0 run, tying the game with a slick finish from Chloe Pembroke before taking the lead on a short-range goal from Lydia Trombly.
A barrage of shots failed to produce a further advantage for U-32 just before the half, but the halftime score still read as a bit of a shocker for the favored Wasps.
“We decided that we were here for a reason,” said Hull of the halftime message. “And we were going to leave every last ounce of what we had on the field, no matter what. And that’s where it came from.”
Sure enough, the Wasps came out with the intensity needed. Off Maeve Roylance’s draw win, Aleks Cirovic powered straight through the Raider defense to score the tying goal.
“When I got that ball, I was like, ‘I’m just gonna go down and score’” said Cirovic. “I knew that could change the momentum of the game.”
An end-to-end possession a few minutes ended with Roylance receiving a neat feed from Victoria Johnson on the break and putting home the finish to give the Wasps a lead they’d never relinquish, before both Cirovics added goals in a 2 minute span to make some breathing room. Roylance added the final goal of a dominant 6-0 quarter with 2:10 to play.
The fourth quarter became one of possession and defense, as the Wasps ran off several long possessions and got key stops from Jessica Baumann to snuff out any hope of a comeback. Woodstock players sprinted to Baumann in celebration before the final whistle even blew, kicking off a party years in the making a few seconds early.
“I’m just really proud of everybody,” said Cirovic. “It is a relief. It is a burden lifting off my shoulders and I’m really proud of everyone today.”
The Wasps will look to return in 2027 now having broken the championship seal, with seven seniors including Aleks Cirovic, Roylance, and Baumann headed off, but still plenty of young talent led by Betta Cirovic and Serea Beardsley.
“These seniors have really driven this so hard this year,” said Hull. “They’ve really wanted this state championship, and they’ve kept their eye on the prize, and they really did it.”