Girls’ Lax Beats Brooks

The girls’ varsity lacrosse team played at home against Brooks School last Saturday. The team played hard and grinded out another victory, winning 9-6. This win extends their streak and takes their record to 12-0.

The team tried to remain humble going into the game. Refusing to acknowledge their 11-0 record, Exeter recognized that Brooks could be a stronger opponent than anticipated. Despite such mental fortitude, Exeter had a slow start to the game.

Early in the game, the score see-sawed, with both Exeter and Brooks taking leads. But Exeter made sure not to let Brooks widen the gap. “When we got down by a goal we immediately came back with three. We did a great job of focusing and cracking down once we realized we were down in the score,” lower Lauren Arkell said. 

Exeter’s stagnant start was a result of many smaller issues. The team struggled to control the ball and keep possession, turning the ball over to Brooks frequently. “Sometimes we would make amazing interceptions or grab ground balls, but once we had the ball, we would throw it away, which was why we were losing possession more than normal,” prep Bella Hillman said. Brooks managed to maintain possession for long periods of time, limiting the amount of time Exeter had to press up on offense.

“When we got down by a goal we immediately came back with three. We did a great job of focusing and cracking down once we realized we were down in the score.”

The team also failed to capitalize on chances offensively. “Our shot percentage was very low. I think we had around 23 shots and only nine goals. Also, we had a lot of two on one opportunities that should have ended in a goal, but we could not put it in the net,” lower Anna Reaman said. Big Red also did not win the majority of the draws, cutting away their time on offense. Brooks also had a very strong goalie and defense. “They were able to stop our forwards from getting to the net. Although, we should have beaten them with a more comfortable gap because we are the better team,” Reaman said.

On defense, Big Red had another successful week, shutting down Brooks’ offense and taking away its opportunities on net. “Allegra had great plays and was consistently not letting the Brooks attackers get through in front of the goal,” Hillman said, commending her teammate.

The team will compete away against Tabor Academy on Saturday. Exeter hopes to pick up another win and extend their winning streak to 13 games.