• The Rockets outscored the Warriors 8-6 in the second half, but could not complete the comeback attempt.
Needham girls lacrosse fell to King Philip, 15-10, in its home opener and first game under new head coach Gianna Cottrell.
Despite trailing 9-2 at halftime, the Rockets made key adjustments at the break and played a much stronger second half, outscoring the Warriors 8-6. Needham put 13 of their 16 shots on goal in the second half and won eight draws after securing just four in the first half.
King Philip got off to a hot start, scoring four unanswered goals in the first four minutes of the game. The Rockets’ defense tightened up after that, and junior Frankie Adams scored Needham’s first goal of the season on an 8-meter shot to make it 4-1. The Warriors added another goal with two seconds left in the quarter to take a 5-1 lead into the second. Freshman goalie Lilly Fletcher saved three of King Philip’s eight shots in the quarter, while Adams’ score was the Rockets’ lone shot on goal.
The Rockets continued to play strong defense in the second quarter, but the Warriors gradually extended their lead to 9-1 by the 3:20 mark. Fletcher stopped six of King Philip’s 10 shots in the quarter, but Needham struggled to find the back of the net. Adams scored her second goal of the day on another 8-meter shot with 29 seconds remaining in the first half to make it 9-2 at halftime.
Needham came out of the break strong, scoring four goals in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 11-6. The Rockets put eight shots on goal in the quarter and held the Warriors to just two goals. Junior Lila Jantzen scored twice, while freshman Halli Kamke and junior Paige Moyer each added a goal.
The Rockets added four more goals in the fourth quarter and got as close as 13-9, but the Warriors responded with two quick goals to extend their lead to six with under two minutes to play. Adams scored the final goal for Needham, her fourth of the game, before the final whistle.
Fletcher saved 12 of King Philip’s 27 total shots, while the Warriors controlled 17 draws to Needham’s 12. They also outshot the Rockets 27-16 in the game.
The Rockets will be back in action on Tuesday, March 31 at 4 p.m. against Weymouth. The Needham Channel will be there to record a broadcast of that game that will air Wednesday, April 1st at 7 p.m. on our HD channel.
Watch our full broadcast of this game below:
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