BERLIN- With little drama, Worcester Prep’s girls’ varsity lacrosse team dispatched rival Saints Peter and Paul, 17-10, last Friday to capture its fifth straight Eastern Shore Independent Athletic Conference (ESIAC) championship.
It’s always special when Worcester Prep faces Saints Peter and Paul in any sport, but girls’ varsity lacrosse has produced the most drama in the intense rivalry in recent years. The two teams faced each other twice in the regular season and split the two games with the Mallards winning 17-8 on March 24 and the Sabres returning the favor with an 11-9 win on April 11.
The two teams have faced each other in the ESIAC title game in at least the last eight years with Worcester winning five straight including last Friday’s 17-10 win. Prior to that, Saints Peter and Paul won three straight in the epic series including a triple overtime win in 2009. This year, the Mallards left little to chance, scoring early and often in the conference championship game in a cool, steady drizzle at home last Friday.
The Worcester girls finished with a 12-4 mark in a season marked by impressive streaks with a little hiccup in the middle. The Mallards opened the season with five straight wins, the lost three of the next four including losses to Saints Peter and Paul and crosstown rival Stephen Decatur. After the loss to Decatur, Worcester then reeled off five more in a row before a loss to Cape Henlopen in the regular season finale before last Friday’s win in the ESIAC championship game.