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The Weston High School girls lacrosse team battled all Saturday afternoon to gain momentum in the state championship game. The Trojans fought through sudden rain and a potentially devastating call by the referees but that still could not hold them back.
Catie Ledwick netted her fourth goal of the game with 63 ticks left on the clock to give the Trojans the lead over Granby Memorial for good. The thrilling goal capped a back-and-forth game and lifted fifth-seeded Weston to its first-ever state championship, 8-7.
"I kind of wasn't expecting that shot to go in. It wasn't the prettiest thing," Ledwick said. "I was really nervous toward the end, but we pulled through. I never thought this would happen to us, and it's so amazing it did."
The dramatic finish came after a controversial call midway through the second half. Lindsay Koch thought she had netted a backbreaking insurance goal to put Weston up, 6-4. Upon inspection by the referees, however, her stick was ruled illegal with the netting sagging too low and the goal was disallowed.
"My stick is pretty old, and it often gets a deep pocket when it rains like this," Koch said. "I was pretty angry getting a goal taken away in the championship game, but it turned out the way we wanted it."
The ruling briefly turned the tide of the game as Granby stormed right back to tie it, 5-5. Each time Granby fought back, Ledwick answered the call, scoring the last two goals for Weston.
After a sudden driving mist began just before the start of the game, the first half was marred by more turnovers than shots on goal. With players slipping and sliding on the field, neither team could gain the advantage in the first 25 minutes.
Granby had a slight edge in possession in the first half, but Weston goalie Carolyn Figliola came up with five huge saves to keep the game tied, 3-3. She finished with eight total saves.
"I would have liked a little more cushion in the score to ease my stress," Weston head coach Megan Murphy said with a laugh. "This is really something special considering we've never even been out of the first round before."
Frances Holmes, Hannah Hutchins, and Abigale Chepolis also scored for the Trojans. Weston finishes their championship season at 15-5.
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