It is hard to believe this is the same Middlesex team that loss 12-6 to Deerfield just one week ago.  The Zebras have made significant progress in just one week of play and they brought passion, energy, and the love of the game and each other in today's back-and-forth battle between two girls' lacrosse rivals.  Nobles evened the score in wins today as the teams are 2-2 in the last four years.  

As suspected, the game was intense from the first minute.  The Zebras struck first five minutes into the game, but Nobles answered just a minute later.  The play went back and forth with both teams giving up "early season" turnovers in the midfield, but Nobles found a rhythm late in the half and took an 8-5 lead.  The Zebras continued to fight, however, and notched a goal in the last minute to close the gap to 2 goals before halftime.  In the second half, the Zebra defense stiffened and worked hard to hold off the fast breaks, but Nobles took a 10-7 lead 20:13 remaining in the game.  After a few adjustments, the Zebras came roaring back scoring three unanswered assisted goals by Flaherty, Fehnel, and Miller to bring the game to 10-10.  Nobles took the lead with 11:36 remaining and then notched two more goals in a man-up situation with 4 minutes to play.  Despite a huge effort from the entire team, the Zebras notched just one more goal and ended the game just shy of the win. 

Despite the loss, this young team made huge strides today at both ends of the field.  Four sophomores and three freshmen added to the effort today, and under the great leadership of the juniors and seniors, this team is moving in a terrific direction.  The heart and passion displayed today will serve this dynamic group of young woman well as they launch into the rest of the season.