Brighton Proves Rebuild Successfully Complete with D1 Repeat
By
Steve Vedder
Special for MHSAA.com
June 10, 2023
ROCKFORD – The Brighton girls lacrosse team found the ideal way to avoid the revenge trap: Just do your homework and play defense.
That's the combination the Bulldogs utilized to successfully defend its Division 1 title in Saturday's 8-6 win over top-ranked Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern/Eastern at Rockford High School.
The championship came after Brighton outlasted the BirdDogs 12-11 in overtime in last year's Final.
But instead of allowing Forest Hills Northern/Eastern to avenge last year's loss, Brighton smothered an offense which had ended the regular season with eight straight games of double-digit scoring while averaging more than 14 goals over five tournament games.
Brighton junior goalie Gabrielle Buckenberger said the championship was a result of preparation and defense. As a result, the Bulldogs knew exactly what to expect from the BirdDogs, specifically the fine-tuning of switching on defense and knowing who the FHN/E scorers were.
"We watched a lot of film to prepare ourselves," said Buckenberger, who faced just 11 shots and made six saves. "We tried to go in confidently. For me, I knew if I didn't play my best, my teammates would.
"We've been practicing our defense, and it’s been great all year. We put in the effort and the discipline, and we took time to listen to our defensive coaches and what we learned, we embraced."
The defense was most evident during the second half. Down 5-4 at the break, Brighton (17-8-1) was still behind 6-5 on a FHN/E goal by Mia Dye with 17:23 left. But Brighton's Ella Toth tied the game with 14:51 left, and Brighton then sealed it on goals by Kaia Malachino and Georgia Gill over the final 9:16.
Neither team managed more than a one-goal lead until Gill's with 3:36 left.
Gill, Toth and Lauren Zaccagni all scored twice for Brighton, which lost seven key seniors from last year's champion. A young Brighton team managed just a 2-4 record through the first six games. Included over the last three weeks was a 12-10 loss to Division 2 runner-up East Grand Rapids and a 6-6 tie with FHN/E.
Brighton coach Ashton Peters agreed that the win was all about defense. The six goals was only one from FHN/E's season low of five against Forest Hills Central.
"Our defense was unbelievable. We said all year that our defense was the best it's ever been. We've been focusing on communication and being in possession," Peters said.
"(At the start of this season) we knew there was a gap we had to close. We came in having played a tough schedule, and we knew it was pretty much a rebuilding team that had to trust the process. We had a (four-game) losing streak, and I don't think the players cared about that."
Gill said her teammates were aware of the modest expectations facing the club.
"We definitely had our doubters, people who thought we were going to be toast," she said. "But we trusted the coaches and each other, and the process worked out for us."
BirdDogs coach Joe Curcuru, whose team saw its 12-game winning streak snapped, said the Bulldogs' defense was exceptional.
"We battled hard but just came up a couple goals short," he said. "Brighton's defense was terrific. They slid well behind the ball, and their on-ball defense was great. They also had the ball a lot. I think you'll see the time of possession was pretty strong in their favor. We battled, but in the end we couldn't get the ball in the net."
PHOTOS (Top) Brighton's Cecilia Mainhardt (18) considers her next pass while Northern/Eastern's Julia Kozal (6) and Logan Kirkwood (11) defend. (Middle) FHN/E goalie Sommer-Jo Grieser stops a shot by the Bulldogs' Lauren Zaccagni (10). (Below) Players from both teams scramble for the ball during Saturday's Division 1 Final. (Click for more from Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
Bloomfield Hills' Semifinal Run Powered By Scoring Skill, Talent in Net
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
September 29, 2023
Bloomfield Hills advanced to the Division 1 Semifinals this spring with one of the highest-scoring lineups in MHSAA girls lacrosse history, and one of its most accomplished goalies.
The Black Hawks scored 325 goals – sixth-most on the list – in going 19-4. Ella Lucia, then a junior, posted 17 single-game record entries for goals, assists or points, finishing with 125 goals, 59 assists and 184 points and pushing her career numbers to 186 goals, 113 assists and 299 points over three seasons.
Teammate Ilana Watson, a senior this spring, was added eight times for single-game accomplishments and also for 71 goals, 64 assists and 135 points for the season and 102 assists and 205 points over her two-season career. Goalie Sydney Butler, now a senior, made the single-season saves list with 186 and the career list with 466 over her first three seasons. Marlee Watson, who also graduated in the spring, was added for seven goals in a game.
See below for more recent record book updates for girls lacrosse:
Girls Lacrosse
On April 25, 2022, Holland West Ottawa then-senior Ella Spooner scored 13 of her team’s 16 goals against Zeeland. Those 13 goals tied for fourth-most in one game and also placed her on the single-game points list. She is playing at Kalamazoo College.
Troy Athens’ Claire Balintfy piled up eight record book entries during her sophomore season in 2022. A goalie, she posted a career-high 22 saves to tie for eighth on the single-game list, on which she appears six more times. Her 231 saves over 18 games that season rank second on that list as well.
Lexie Springman took 12 shots and made eight in Portage’s 19-9 win over Grand Ledge on April 5. She was a senior at Portage Central and is continuing at Regis University in Colorado.
Haslett/Williamston’s Abby Russell opened her high school career March 22 with a record book-worthy performance. The Haslett now-sophomore made the single-game goals list with seven in her team’s 10-9 loss at Portage.
Okemos’ Bridget Cox was a sophomore during the 2021 season when she earned her first four record book entries. She made the single-game saves list three times with a high of 16, and totaled 157 saves over 18 games total.
Holly/Ortonville Brandon tallied three single-game entries this past season. Junior Dakota Pinson made the single-game goals list with 10 against Fenton/Linden on May 4. Junior teammate Lainey Lasky made the same list twice with seven goals both times, against Flushing on May 3 and Lake Fenton/Goodrich on May 16.
Through three seasons, Salem’s Mileena Cotter has earned 35 record book entries – including setting the single-game record with 18 goals April 6 against Saline. Her 123 goals over just 10 games this past season rank seventh, and her 257 goals over 30 career games rank ninth on that list. Her career-high 19 points on April 5 against Dexter rank second for points in a game. She’s committed to sign with Syracuse.
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep junior Emily Szalach earned a record book entry with her 11 goals against Warren Regina on May 15 during a 13-12 triple-overtime win. It was the first entry for NDP for girls lacrosse.
Lake Orion’s Quinn McElroy capped her three-season varsity career this spring with eight record book listings, including for 69 goals and 100 points over 16 games as a senior, and 172 goals and 224 points for her career. Teammate Morgan Vasquez made single-season lists with 66 goals and 81 points, as did Amelia Guccione with 50 goals. Ava Adkins joined McElroy and Vasquez with single-game qualifiers, hers for 15 saves in a game against Troy Athens on April 12. Vasquez is a senior and Guccione a junior this school year, and Adkins also graduated this spring. McElroy is playing at Grand Valley State.
A pair of Detroit Cass Tech senior standouts made single-game and season scoring lists this spring. Taylor Weston made the single-game goals list three times, with a high of eight, and for her 64 goals total over 15 games; she also earned a listing for her 53 goals as a junior in 2022. Teammate Kayla Carroll-Williams made the single-game list twice, both for scoring seven goals, and the single-season list for 62 goals over 15 games.
PHOTO Bloomfield Hills goalie Sydney Butler, center, prepares to stop a shot against Bloomfield Hills Marian on May 11. (Photo by Susan Adams Photography.)