Girls’ lacrosse lost two and won just one game last week. They faced challenging opponents: Arlington, Tyngsborough, and Dover-Sherborn. Each game presented difficulties for the Warriors and made them work to play their best.

The game against the Arlington Spy-Ponders on Tuesday was a difficult one for the Warriors. Both teams had trouble keeping possession of the ball, but ultimately the Spy-Ponders outplayed the Warriors. For Wayland, juniors Mel Sperling, Hanna Peper, and Lindsay Shelton led the attack. The Warriors had trouble shooting around Arlington goalie, Caldwell.

In the last two minutes of the game, the Warriors really pushed to come back. With only a minute left Wayland scored, bringing them within one at 9-8, and raising hopes. But after that score the Warriors were unable to bring the game to a tie and lost by just one goal.

Last Thursday, the always-underestimated Tyngsborough Tigers proved to be a tough opponent. The Tigers are a very physical team, and they entered the game excited and ready to play. For their part, the Warriors came into the game slow and unprepared. It was a trying game for Wayland as the rain came down sporadically and the Tigers were fighting hard.

Tyngsborough’s energy moved them ahead 4-1 within the first five minutes of the game and helped them dominate the first half. However, in the second half the Warriors started controlling the draws and gaining offensive possession. When Wayland settled down and started playing their game, the offense became very successful and took over.

Ash Clement of Tyngsborough scored seven goals for the Tigers. However, it was juniors Mel Sperling and Hanna Peper who led Wayland offense scoring eight and five goals respectively. Other goal scorers included senior Captain Lily Freedberg, juniors Liz Doyon, Lindsay Shelton, and Katie Miller, as well as freshman Katie Terranova. The final score was a 19-12 win for the Warriors.

On Saturday, the Warriors traveled to Dover-Sherborn. It was senior day for the Raiders, and they wanted to win it. The Warriors got off to another sloppy start and had trouble winning the draws the entire first half. Dover-Sherborn outscored Wayland 16-7 in the half because of their ground balls and controlling possessions.

In the second half, the Warriors cleaned it up and started to win the majority of draw controls. Wayland scored five goals in three minutes, and at one point the Warriors closed the Raiders’ lead to just three goals. But in the end the Warriors could not pull through. The Raiders won 21-17. For Dover-Sherborn, the two attack wings, Flight and Alekna each scored six goals. For Wayland, junior Hanna Peper had one of her best games of the season, dominating the crease roll and scoring seven goals.

Wayland Coach Tracey Drown explained, “This week was tough, but our team overall put together strong performances. Arlington, Tyngsborough, and Dover-Sherborn have improved so much throughout the year.” The Warriors are scheduled to have their last game against the Concord-Carlisle Colonials on Tuesday in Wayland. The Warriors are now 7-10 in the conference.