Wayland girls lacrosse lost their last game of the season Tuesday, on the home turf. Their opponent was the top-ranked Concord Carlisle Colonials, to whom the Warriors had previously fallen, 21-7.

Senior Captain Iris Irwin stepped into cage to play her first game ever as goalie. The Warriors put up a great fight, working together well and playing some of their best lacrosse all season. Fifteen minutes into the first half, Wayland was close, down only 3-4.

The Warriors held possession offensively for nine consecutive minutes on the Colonials’ end of the field, and the Colonials were frustrated by the strong opposition. Towards the end of the first half, Concord-Carlisle picked up their game and scored five more goals, making it 3-9 at the end of the half.

In the second half, the Warriors came out strong, proven by the number of time-outs Concord-Carlisle’s coach called. Wayland scored six goals in the half, but the Colonials scored nine, and came out on top 18-9.

Scoring for Wayland showcased the Warriors’ junior talent with goals from Katie Miller, Lindsey MacDonald, Carolyn Hanifin, Hanna Peper, and Melanie Sperling.

Concord-Carlisle is among the top five best teams in the state, and the Warriors showed a lot of character against their difficult opponent. With the loss, Wayland ended their season 7-11.

The record did not accurately represent the talent of the Warriors, who struggled throughout the season, but created a cohesive team. Senior captain Lily Freedberg credited Coach Tracey Drown for their overall success, saying, “I think we came together as a team, [and] it was a great season; we couldn’t have done it without our coach. From the beginning of the season, it was evident that we had a very diverse team with a lot of individual talent. By the end of the season, we were able to combine this talent and form a great team.”

The Warriors will be graduating four seniors this year: captains Lily Freedberg and Iris Irwin, attacker Emily Andreson, and defender Olivia Johnson.

Freedberg was a leader on attack and always a team player. She directed plays and settled down the attack when they were frantic. On the other side, Irwin was a leader on defense, and she always played at 100%, even exhibiting her raw talent in the cage at the last game.

Emily Andreson had great ground ball control; to see her lose one was an uncommon sight. Olivia Johnson gained confidence throughout the year and successfully beat even the toughest attackers. The seniors collectively had great seasons.

Looking back, captain Lily Freedberg said, “I think the second Weston game was a great success. After this game, it was evident that our defense and offense was able to work together. Although we lost, our team really came together as one.”

The Warriors made a lot of improvements throughout the season by looking at specifics from previous games and examining weaknesses. Next year, the team will return with the vast majority of the 2009 roster, and they should have a bright future.