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Triton runs past Haverhill

Wednesday, April, 10 By Jeff Hamrick

BYFIELD – Things have turned fun on the girls lacrosse field at Triton, and the Vikings appear ready to start rolling with the good times.

With a pair of talented freshmen joining 10 returning starters from a five-win squad, Triton won for the third time in four outings with an easy 12-3 victory Wednesday over Haverhill. The Vikings didn’t win a third game last year until their 14th game.

“When you come out and win with some authority … it’s fun,” Triton coach Stacey Beaulieu said. “Winning is contagious, so it’s definitely a different feel. But it’s the same team, it’s just that these girls have worked real hard for their four or three years with me. We’re mostly juniors and seniors … I’m excited to see them come out winning. I hope they keep it up.”

The Vikings opened the season getting a 13-6 payback against Danvers, which won by five last year, and they got a bit more revenge against Haverhill, which took a 12-9 decision a year ago.

“I had a feeling we were going to be a lot better than last year,” said Gianna Conte, who has a team-high 11 goals after a 22-goal sophomore season. “I knew we were going to be closer and work together a lot better. I was excited for the season to start.”

Conte played a big role in Triton grabbing a 7-1 advantage 19 minutes into the match. She followed up an Erin Power goal that tied the match with the first two of her three goals. Paige Volpone, who had a team-high 39 goals last year, recorded the ensuing two goals. Freshman Kate Trojan scored the first of her two to make the score 6-1 before Kerry Power provided a six-goal advantage with 6:01 remaining in the half.

Triton continually beat Haverhill downfield with quickness and slick passing. Junior twins Erin and Kerry Power often led the fast break offense.

“We’ve been trying,” Beaulieu said. “We do a lot of work on transition and try to get them to use passes instead of their feet. It’s taken some years to get them to realize they can pass. But more importantly than that, their teammates can catch it and they can all find the holes and get in the right spots.”

Trojan, who entered the game with seven goals in her young career, scored her second to open the second half. After goals by Conte and Volpone, who recorded her first hat trick of the year, Sarah Burd and Jamie Bell finished off the scoring with 13:11 remaining. The Vikings then used ball control, maintaining possession for almost 11 of the final 13 minutes with only two shots but getting to nearly every loose ball.

“Both freshmen got into the game, but Kate Trojan has definitely made a difference right away,” Beaulieu said. “She’s been a good addition, and Ashley Silva has gotten into a good amount of games. She scored three goals in Gloucester. So, when you can put two freshmen in and they can make a difference on attack right away, it’s a good thing.”

Haverhill (0-4) received unassisted first-half goals by Sabrina Spero, Brooke Caffrey and Emma Laviolette.

“We have a young team, so it’s back to basics,” said Haverhill coach Christina Lynch, whose squad is still overcoming the loss of senior Jordan Rankin, who died from injuries in a September motor vehicle accident. “We had 10 open spots this year, but I think they had a mental block losing our player. It was difficult for them, but we have to get back to working on skills. We have to get to work.”