Duxbury girls rout Scituate in lacrosse playoffs

HIGH SCHOOLS

Duxbury, MA - June 3 - Duxbury’s #4 Addie Slimbaugh celebrates her goal with her team during a girls lacrosse game against Scituate. PHOTO BY MATT STONE — BOSTON HERALD

Duxbury, MA - June 3 - Duxbury’s Gabriella Fisher takes the ball past Scituate’s Shea Sullivan during a girls lacrosse game. PHOTO BY MATT STONE — BOSTON HERALD

Duxbury, MA - June 3 - Scituate’s Kate Stone gets away from Duxbury’s Ceci Tremante during a girls lacrosse game. PHOTO BY MATT STONE — BOSTON HERALD

Duxbury, MA - June 3 - Duxbury’s Addie Slimbaugh and Anna Fletcher celebrate their goal against Scituate during a girls lacrosse game PHOTO BY MATT STONE — BOSTON HERALD

Duxbury, MA - June 3 - Duxbury’s Kate Rhinesmith pass the ball away from Scituate’s Addison Dubois during a girls lacrosse game. PHOTO BY MATT STONE — BOSTON HERALD

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By Brendan Connelly

Correspondent

DUXBURY >> In a unique matchup between two perennial Patriot League girls lacrosse rivals, Duxbury senior Caroline Villarin netted five goals to go with two assists to eclipse 100 career points, while sophomore Gabriella Fisher (hat trick, two assists) did the same as the sixth-seeded Dragons erupted for a convincing 16-1 victory over No. 11 Scituate in the Div. 2 Round of 16.

Less than one month ago on May 7, the Dragons (16-4) edged out Scituate (13-6) by a goal in a 6-5 showing. This time around, they wasted no time finding their footing as they opened things by scoring seven unanswered goals in the first quarter alone.

“Some days you show up to play,” said Duxbury coach Colby Bartro. “Some days you don’t. I don’t think we showed up to play in our last game. We had a couple people out that were huge contributors today. One thing that I do pride this team in is that we roll deep. We have a lot of depth on the team.”

Villarin caught a pass from Fisher with 1:50 left in the opening frame, then fired a rocket into the cage to complete an early hat trick. The two standouts each eclipsed their respective milestones by the end of the stanza, and Duxbury was in command with a 7-0 advantage.

“It’s definitely a really exciting milestone to reach,” Villarin said. “Especially senior season. It’s just super-exciting.”

After Scituate netted a goal off the stick of Kate Tarsala with 7:47 to play in the first half, Duxbury found its rhythm again.

Sophomore Emma Prouty and Addie Slimbaugh scored consecutive goals for the Dragons, and they coasted into the half with a 10-1 edge.

Once play resumed, they continued to roll. Prouty, Anna Fletcher and Slimbaugh scored to start the third quarter, and Duxbury had a Sweet 16 victory all but sealed.

It was Fisher’s 16th birthday. She celebrated it by making personal history for the Dragons.

“I’ll remember getting to celebrate my 100 points with my friends,” said Fisher. “Also, just getting to play on my birthday for the second year in a row. I was able to play on my birthday last year. It means a lot, spending my birthday with my team.”

Slimbaugh finished with a pair of goals and an assist for the Dragons, while Prouty netted two goals.

Tarsala’s tally was the lone highlight for Scituate. However, it was a historic one, as she eclipsed 400 career points for the Sailors.

Duxbury advances to the Div. 2 Elite Eight, where it will face the winner of Wednesday’s game between No. 3 Westwood and No. 14 Billerica.

“They’ve had this motivation for the whole season,” said Bartro. “They want to run deep into this tournament. They’re playing like they want ‘it’. I’m excited to see that.”