CUMBERLAND – Monday night offered a girls lacrosse test as expected, and Westerly passed it with flying colors.
The Bulldogs remained unbeaten atop Division II by building an early lead and tightening up when necessary in the second half. Cumberland couldn’t find a way back against the team currently leading the Interscholastic League tournament standings.
Casey Macera’s fourth goal with 3:23 to play all but sealed it, as Westerly left for the long ride home from Tucker Field with a 15-11 victory on April 27.
Ella Seltzer and Gianna Falcone added hat tricks in a balanced attack, as the Bulldogs prevailed in their third real challenge of the year. They beat Prout by five goals and Waterford (Conn.) by four – Westerly’s other six matches entering this one were decided by an average margin of 12.8 goals.
“We’ve had more of an easier season so far,” Macera said. “Knowing that they’re a great team and we would test ourselves was really exciting.”
Falcone’s goal a minute into the second quarter gave the Bulldogs their largest lead at 9-2, and the Clippers could only manage to rally within three on a trio of different occasions. The last of those came deep in the fourth quarter, with Lucy Biggs putting away her seventh goal of the night to make it 14-11. Westerly worked the clock from there and Macera bounced a shot home in front to just about settle it.
“The group is amazing,” Macera said. “We click so well. We’re all athletes, so that’s really cool having that connection already.”
Macera and Hadley Henderson traded goals inside the opening 4:11 before the Bulldogs raced away. Falcone hit Macy Antoch on the right side for a quick shot that made it 2-1, and Westerly had the lead for good with 6:21 left in the opening quarter. Seltzer, Phoebe Brennan and Falcone all found the net as the Bulldogs stretched it to a four-goal advantage.
“It’s just important for us to stay locked in the whole ride,” Falcone said. “It’s important for us to come out and to come out hot – that's how we like to play.”
Vittoria Illiano made half of her six saves in the first quarter for Westerly (9-0), allowing her offense to counter the other way at will. The Bulldogs opened an 8-2 lead with 3.0 seconds left when Macera sped down the right wing and found Isabelle Falcone cutting in front for an open shot. Westerly’s first five goals came from different players, a string that ended when Seltzer and Macera each bagged a second.
“We practice how we play,” Falcone said. “Our offense is so fast. That’s just how our team plays.”
Biggs popped for four goals in the second quarter alone as Cumberland (6-2) trimmed the deficit to 11-8 by halftime. She added another late in the third before Henderson followed with the last of her four to make it 13-10 with 1:08 left. The Bulldogs called a timeout and regrouped for a late answer, with Sienna Fizzano collecting a rebound off the crossbar and firing home with just 0.3 seconds to play.
“We’re the ones on the field,” Macera said. “Talking and kind of settling back into our game really helped us a lot.”
Burrillville also entered the day unbeaten in the division, and a May 16 showdown looms with Westerly. The Broncos dropped the 2023 title match to North Kingstown and the Bulldogs fell in overtime to Lincoln School last spring. Both schools figure to be hungry to erase that recent pain at the end of 2026.
“I’d say this is the tightest our team has been – the closest,” Falcone said. “Just being able to connect with each other on the field and off the field really helps us in finding our game and finding our rhythm."
WESTERLY (15): Casey Macera 4, Macy Antoch, Ella Seltzer 3, Phoebe Brennan, Gianna Falcone 3, Isabelle Falcone, Sienna Fizzano 2; assists – G. Falcone 2, Antoch 2, Macera, Brennan.
CUMBERLAND (11): Hadley Henderson 4, Lucy Biggs 7; assist – Biggs.
Halftime – W, 11-8. Saves – Vittoria Illiano, W, 6; Ruby Walsh, C, 5.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Westerly girls lacrosse beats Cumberland 15-11 on April 27