GRANBY — The last time Belchertown and Granby clashed on the lacrosse field, the Orioles walked away with a narrow 14-12 victory. Both teams knew going into the rematch at Granby that it would be a similar battle the second go-round.

Both teams fought tooth and nail, with neither team leading by more than three goals at any point during the game, but the Rams (8-4) avenged their earlier season loss with a 12-10 win on Tuesday against Belchertown (4-6).

“Belchertown’s got a lot of really good offensive players and everybody has some type of skill, so stopping every single player was very crucial that sometimes you don’t always have to do with most teams,” Granby’s Ella Laliberte said. “I think it was a very aggressive game, and I don’t think anybody gave up which is really important, especially our defense. Obviously the goals are what keeps us in the game, but the defense is really what makes or breaks (it).”

Laliberte was the backbone of her team’s offense, ripping off eight goals with many of those coming off of free position shots. Kalli White and Brenna Moreno netted a pair each to round out the scoring for the home team. For Belchertown, Samantha Pacunas led the team with four goals and Adrien Wise netted a hat trick in the loss. Granby goaltender Faith Ramos made six saves in net.

Besides Ramos making several key saves, the Granby defense was the difference maker, especially in the second half. The Orioles came out strong, taking an early 2-0 lead two minutes into the opening half, but the Rams got their legs under them and traded goals the rest of the half. The teams went into halftime tied 5-5, and Belchertown again took a two-goal lead in the first two minutes. Their passing was crisp and efficient all game, particularly in those opening minutes – team captains Pacunas, Michelle Zaluga, Madysen LePage and Paige Magner in particular kept the ball moving up and down the field.

But once Granby got going, the Orioles just couldn’t slow them down.

“The game plan the past couple of games has been to just not force shots and kind of work the ball around a little more. In the first five, six minutes of the game, that’s what we were doing. And then for some reason, we stopped,” Belchertown head coach Jarrod Lemke said. “That’s when (Granby) started to score and get more transition opportunities.”

The Orioles also had the edge when it came to draws, particularly in the first half. The duo of Michelle Zaluga and Paige Magner are the team’s go-to players, and they were relentless in the opening half of the game; Zaluga finished the game with 10 draw control wins. Granby countered in the second half by moving Laliberte to take the draws, which helped the Rams with their possession game.

“They’re a tough team. We were matched pretty well with them. They have a lot of good plays. I think you saw how good they were on the draws, they tend to control the ball very well,” Granby head coach Gary O’Grady said. “I thought we stepped up in our areas too. I thought our attack played very well in the middle of the field, putting a lot of pressure on them before they got the ball in their end.”

That was the difference maker for the Rams when it came down to the final minutes. They ate up precious minutes controlling in their offensive end, keeping the ball away from the Orioles. Whenever Belchertown did managed to force a turnover, the team’s defense was key. Besides Laliberte’s offensive prowess, players like White and Kelly Lynne Kennedy stepped up in key moments.

O’Grady was impressed with his team’s overall improvement over the season. It can be easy to rely too much on a player like Laliberte, who can easily go end-to-end and do a lot of the work herself. Tuesday’s game against Belchertown was one of the team’s most successful all-around games, where every player stepped up and contributed.

Both teams are eyeing the postseason as the regular season draws to a close. They were just one spot apart in the most recent MIAA Division 4 power rankings – Granby sat at No. 37 and Belchertown was right behind at No. 38. The top 32 teams qualify automatically for the postseason, as do teams who finish with a .500 record or better. Both groups are right on the cusp of clinching their spot, and will focus on taking things one game at a time in order to earn a coveted postseason berth.

“My goal is to make sure that our team gets into the tournament. The rankings are what they are, but to at least get a spot in there,” Laliberte said. “I think I’m more focused on whatever game is coming up next because that’s most important. Especially like today, we needed this win to have like a good place or a placement at all in the state tournament.”

Hannah Bevis can be reached at hbevis@gazettenet.com. Follow her on Twitter @Hannah_Bevis1.]]>