EAST GREENWICH – There’s no ego, just execution.
And with how the Moses Brown girls lacrosse team played Thursday, it did that to another top-flight opponent.
The Quakers walked into East Greenwich expecting a tough battle with the undefeated Avengers and got on the bus after the game with a scoreboard that said it was anything but. Moses Brown dominated every facet of the game and did it as a team in a 17-5 win over EG that makes in patently clear – if it wasn’t already – the state title is the Quakers’ to lose.
“We were really humble coming into it but we also came in with a lot of confidence,” All-Stater Goose Brousseau said. “I’m just really proud that the team really worked together. We did it with every person on this team and that was the best part.”
East Greenwich has been an offensive dynamo this season, putting up ridiculous numbers in wins and losses. Moses Brown counteracted this in two ways – not letting the Avengers getting the ball and not letting them do anything when they had it.
Jane Belsito is the state’s best player in the draw circle and left little doubt about it one quarter in. She got the Quakers the ball and when they had it, they scored, getting five goals in the first 12 minutes to leave EG stunned at what happened.
“Jane is so good on the draw,” Brousseau said. “We love having Jane on the draw and other people on the circle, it’s just awesome to watch everybody.”
The Avengers fared better on draws in the second quarter and created turnovers that gave them opportunities, but Moses Brown simply took them away. EG has the best offensive player in the state in Tessa Charello-Ingegneri and a supporting cast that gives the team balance to ensure defenses have to cover more than one player.
Moses Brown went out and simply defended them all. The communication was constant, the movement was persistent and when the Quakers’ smelled blood in the water, they pounced. The attacking defense has become MB’s calling card and it was on full display Thursday night.
“They have a lot of great players and she’s definitely one of them,” Brousseau said. “It was really all about working together so no one was going to stop her or any of the other people alone.
“We really just came together. Every single part of the defense was working as seven people and not just one.”
East Greenwich also had to deal with Paige Mahon, the Quakers’ freshman goalie, who had perhaps her best game to date. The Avengers had chances in the first quarter, but Mahon’s stick ran hot and four saves there kept them off the board and allowed MB to build its lead that grew to 9-1 at halftime.
“EG is a great opponent and it was amazing to play with them, so it was a great experience,” Mahon said. “My confidence [was key], getting in the right headspace, really, especially control and knowing my team has my back.”
Moses Brown’s offense came from all over, with four players scoring in the first half and six getting goals in the game. The Quakers made East Greenwich defend for a while and used ball movement, screens and cuts to get players open for point-blank shots.
Avery Butler and Samantha Mocco both finished with four goals, but the surprise scorer of the night was Brousseau. The All-Stater has scored in the past as a midfielder, but Thursday had a few chances bring the ball over the restraining line. She had two tallies in the first half before putting the exclamation point on the win with her final goal seconds before the horn sounded.
“I just want to do whatever is going to help my team the most and I thought those three times that was what was going to help my team the most,” Brousseau said. “It was really just every single person working together and everyone else helped me get those goals, so that was just awesome to see.”
The loss ended East Greenwich’s 11-game win streak, but allowed them to get a first-hand look at what Moses Brown is capable of. The Avengers look locked into the No. 2 seed for the playoffs, but close the regular season against to teams in the top four – at La Salle on Tuesday and at Barrington on Thursday.
Moses Brown improves to 10-2 – the losses were to out-of-state teams – and won’t play another Rhode Island team until the Division I playoffs. The Quakers close with a game on Saturday at Lincoln-Sudbury (Mass.) and then host Acton-Boxboro (Mass.) on Tuesday night.
The two games give Moses Brown a chance to fine-tune whatever needs work as it tries to win a fourth straight state title that would also be its 10th in the last 11 seasons. The Quakers want to take their game to another level and if they find a way to do that, it’s not going to be pretty for the opposition.
“Our ceiling is super high and we’re definitely not satisfied yet,” Brousseau said. “We have our big games coming up and every game means a lot to us and is a huge game, so we’re ready for these out-of-state opponents to bring our best and get better every single time.”
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Moses Brown at East Greenwich girls lacrosse score on Thursday May 14
