Playoff Preview: Central Mass Girls Lacrosse

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Joe Parello, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Milford's Blair Smith is one of Central Mass' best scorers.

Today, 13 girls lacrosse teams across Central Mass begin their quest for a district championship.

It has been five years since a team not named Westborough won the Central Mass Championship, but that may be changing this season. Fresh off a double-overtime victory over Westborough, Algonquin has captured the top seed in the district tournament, and may have the most complete team in the region. Still, counting out Westborough would be foolish given their immense talent and championship experience.

Here is what to watch for in the Central Mass Girls Lacrosse Playoffs.

The Favorite: Westborough

All that stuff about Algonquin beating them and being a complete team may be true, but when you are the five-time defending champion, you are the favorite until somebody knocks you off. The Rangers had a terrific season, going 13-3, with those three losses coming by a combined four goals.

Westborough once again has one of the most prolific offenses in the region, averaging over 14.5 goals a game. Brigid Bowser leads the balanced Ranger attack with 75 points (39G, 36A), but don’t sleep on a defense led by goalie Hanna Bjork that only surrenders eight goals a game.

The Biggest Challenger: Algonquin

The Rangers have ended Algonquin’s season three of the past five years, but the Tomahawks have had Westborough’s number this year. Twice Algonquin has faced Westborough, and twice they have come away with one-goal wins, the second of which in double-overtime.

Algonquin’s offense has been nearly unstoppable this season, led by Carly O’Connell’s 127 points (69G, 58A). O'Connell, an Oregon commitment, has gotten help from Hannah Lindgren up front, the solid play from goalie Emma Decker on the last line of defense. Led by Decker, the Tomahawk defense has been

Bromfield has exceeded expectations this year, but has a very tough draw ahead of them.

one of the best in the region, giving up only 7 goals a game.

The Dark Horse: Shrewsbury

The Colonials finished the year 11-7, but had one of the more explosive offenses in Central Mass. Shrewsbury scored and average of nearly 13 goals a game, and attacker Devan Michael proved she was one of the region’s most complete players with her 91 points (59G, 32A).

Shrewsbury also came within one goal of upsetting Westborough the second time around, and has played to the wire with every team they’ve faced, outside of Algonquin, over the past six weeks.

The Wild Card: Milford

The Hawks have their flaws, including a defense that gives up over 10 goals a game. But, with an offense led by Blair Smith, Milford has the fire-power to hang with anyone in Central Mass.

If Milford can slow down opposing offenses, they will be tough to beat. If not, the Hawks could find themselves where they were earlier this year, on the wrong side of a 22-21 overtime game.

Most Intriguing First Round Matchup: 10. Oakmont at 7. Groton-Dunstable

These two teams both have high-scoring offenses, and have already shown that they are evenly matched. In a mid-season matchup between the two, the visiting Crusaders of Groton-Dunstable edged Oakmont 11-10.

This game also features two of the very best attackers in Central Mass. Oakmont’s Courtney Nivala leads the region in scoring with 129 points (82G, 47A), and Groton-Dunstable’s Erika Eipp comes in at third with 124 points (101G, 23 A). Eipp also leads Central Mass in goals. If you like scoring, you won’t want to miss this one.

You can view the bracket below, or check it out at the MIAA’s website by clicking here.