WRENTHAM, Mass. – Prior to Franklin becoming the dominant power in the Hockomock League, King Philip was the team to beat. The Warriors won six straight titles from 2003-2008 and, after Franklin won in 2010 and 2011, shared the title with Franklin in 2012.
Since that spring 11 years ago, the Panthers have been literally unbeatable. The Panthers have won 12 straight league titles and more than 100 straight league games.
On Wednesday afternoon at Macktaz Field, KP got another shot at ending that streak and pulling level with the Panthers atop the division. If the hosts were hoping to pull the upset, then they needed to have a good start to build confidence, but Franklin, which was playing its third game in as many days, took control from the opening draw and never looked back.
The Panthers scored the first six goals of the game and allowed just one KP goal in the second half to earn the 14-4 win, building a two-game lead on the Warriors in the standings.
“I think we start strong, and we have to continue to start strong, it’s just when we get tired then we have some lulls so we have to work on that,” said Franklin coach Kristin Igoe Guarino, whose team was playing its third game in as many days.
KP coach Kourtnie Wilder said of her team, “They keep trying, that’s for sure, but I think at this part of the season we need to pick up our heads and have a stronger lacrosse IQ because these are the teams we’re going to face in the tournament. We need to know how to play the full 50 minutes and what the game plan is.”
Franklin needed less than a minute to pull into the lead. Kaitlyn Carney cut down the middle and was able to make a nice catch and finish. Three minutes later, KP came close to tying it with Kelly Holmes cutting across the crease but Ella Mahoney made her lone save of the first half. Katie Peterson would find Emily Carney on a nice cut but Kaitlyn Parish (three saves) made a nice stop.
Nearly five minutes in, the Panthers doubled the lead. Peterson (two goals and four assists) again was the creator, hitting Gabi Consigli on the run. A minute later, Lindsay Atkinson (two goals and an assist) teed up Jamie Tanner to make it 3-0. With Carney winning all the early draws, Franklin kept the pressure on and Katherine Ryan (three goals and an assist) found Atkinson on a cut to make it four.
Peterson and Alyssa Legere each hit the post on opposite ends of the field, but the Panthers just kept rolling. Carney (two goals and three assists) kept finding space and time behind the cage to distribute and she found Ryan for a man-up score and then Consigli to make it 6-0 midway through the first half.
“We always like to have balance on attack,” said Igoe Guarino. “We started playing Gabi Consigli and she had two goals as well, so the more confident all seven people on offense can be than the harder it is to stop.”
KP won its first draw control of the day and turned the possession into its first goal. Makenzie McDevitt (three goals and an assist) drew the attention of the Franklin defense and she was able to pick out Abby MacDonald, who went with the bounce to get KP on the board.
Franklin answered right back with Emily Carney going under the bar on a free position. KP had a little energy though and got the next two goals. McDevitt picked the bottom corner with a nice angled shot and then went low on a free position from the other side of the crease to cut the lead to just 7-3.
The Panthers regained control with a strong defensive effort. Kaitlyn Carney forced a turnover on a KP clear and Peterson set up Tanner in front to make it 8-3. After Parish came up with a nice stop on Carney’s sidearm effort, Tanner would force the turnover on the ride and quickly head back up field, finding Peterson for the score.
With 1:33 left in the half, Carney again played provider to give Ryan a clear look on goal and she buried it for a 10-3 lead.
KP came out for the second half looking energized. McDevitt won the first draw of the half and raced right on goal to score after just 10 seconds, but it was the final goal that the Warriors would get.
“They kept battling,” said Wilder. “They know that Franklin is a talented program and what we try to tell them is so are we and just unfortunately some of the shots didn’t go our way. We didn’t move the goalie, Ella played really well today, and I think that’s what made the difference.”
Eight minutes into the second half, Peterson drove down the middle and the UMass-commit finished. Atkinson, a Merrimack-commit, added another a minute later, and Carney, who is headed to James Madison, went sidearm again to increase the lead to 13-4 with 16 minutes to play. Four minutes later, Peterson got her fourth assist of the night on a nice finish by Ryan, who completed her hat trick.
While KP went the final 24 minutes without a goal, the Warriors had several good looks. McDevitt, Legere, MacDonald, and Nicole McDonald each had chances from close range, but Mahoney (seven saves) came up big down the stretch to keep KP at bay.
“They have some good offensive players, we were just more ready to send a flash or help and play as a team instead of leaving someone out one-on-one,” said Igoe Guarino. “I think once we started playing together as a unit and helping stop their best players it worked out for us.”
Igoe Guarino also praised Mahoney for being there to make big stops as the Panthers started to tire late in the game. She said, “She’s been doing great. KP only had one goal in the second half and credit to Ella for making the stops.”
Franklin (8-2, 6-0) can clinch at least a share of the league title with three wins next week, starting on Monday at Milford. King Philip (5-4, 4-2) will try to bounce back on Monday when Oliver Ames comes to Wrentham.
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