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Honors
Madison Brennan, her Mom, Amy and brother Kyle, walk through the line created by the Centaurs girls’ lacrosse team in honor of Brennan on Senior Day. Photo by Marc Allard.
About three weeks into the season, Woodstock Academy girls’ lacrosse coach Kathleen Johnson made the decision to move senior Madison Brennan from midfield to attack.
The move has proven to be very beneficial for the program.
Coming into the week, the Centaurs were on the verge of qualifying for the Eastern Connecticut Conference tournament for a first time ever.
They also needed just a win over Montville to clinch at least a share of the ECC Division II regular season title.
And their 10-2 record has also qualified them for the state tournament for just the second time in program history.
Leading the way has been the lone senior on the team.
Brennan scored six goals and added an assist May 11 in a 14-3 win over St. Bernard.
It was her way of celebrating Senior Day.
“I wanted to win on Senior Day, who doesn’t want to win on their Senior Day. That’s what we did, it was a team effort,” Brennan said.
Johnson said it has been a special year for Brennan.
The move to the front line was afforded by the addition of some capable players including freshman Bridget Horst.
“It’s great to have her on attack. She has been able to use her skills scoring goals. That’s great because she has played all four years. I coached her (in Pomfret recreation) so she played before she got to The Academy and she’s also going to play in college. It’s awesome to see her development as a player,” Johnson said.
Brennan feels she has found a position that is more natural for her.
“Ever since I’ve moved to attack, I think I have got better at scoring,” Brennan said.
Brennan is an easy target to find.
She stands 5-feet-9 and has long arms which helps her get her stick above the fray in close to the goal.
She is also very athletic and fast and is able to make the quick cuts necessary in a sport dictated by such abilities.
“Saving her speed to cut and be able to attack the goal is so key because, sometimes, as a midfielder, running the entire field, you don’t always have your legs underneath you to make those quick cuts. I think it’s just a great fit for her and it’s just been awesome,” Johnson said.
Johnson said she wanted to feel things out at the beginning of the year before making the move, switching Brennan to the front line at the end of April.
“I have such confidence in my midfield at all times, it freed up Maddie to really have that target and have her speed and great stick skills on attack,” Johnson said.
Brennan has responded to the move with 36 goals for the Centaurs this season including 16 last week.
But this season is hardly over yet.
The Centaurs have done some special things.
Just last week, they posted their first-ever win over Stonington, a 10-5 win under the lights May 8.
“The Stonington win was unbelievable,” Johnson said. “It was the best game of the year. The girls were amazing. The team chemistry and the bench just cheering the team on and the team defense was just out of this world.”
Brennan scored six goals in that win while Horst added a couple. Emma Redfield and Aislin Tracey also scored.
But that win may have contributed a little bit to what happened next.
May 10 the Centaurs suffered a rare loss this season to Bacon Academy in Colchester, 10-9, on a grass field.
“The grass was very uneven while the turf is one level and it’s easier to get ground balls. They definitely had the advantage on ground balls and it’s a lot slower on grass. We are very quick team so (Thursday) was very hard for us,” Brennan said.
Johnson said it didn’t help that the Centaurs had a couple of calls go against her team late and were playing a man down for the last four minutes.
“I always say a loss is a good learning lesson, it’s a reason to reflect on what we need to work on and move forward,” Johnson said. Brennan scored four goals in that game while Gelhaus added three.
The Centaurs returned home to South Campus May 11 and scored the first five goals, two of them by Brennan, but they led only 5-2 at the half.
Four goals in the first nine minutes of the second half put the win away for the Centaurs.
“We definitely wanted to bounce back from that loss because we worked really hard (Thursday) but couldn’t come out with the win, sadly,” Brennan said.
Redfield added two goals while Peyton Saracina added a goal and an assist.
Then the team got to celebrate the fruit of their labor.
Senior Day meant a cookout was in store after the game.
For Brennan, it wasn’t her first Senior Day since she also celebrated one in basketball, but it was her last.
“It’s pretty sad. I’m going to miss playing high school sports, but I’m going to continue to play lacrosse in college so I will still have it with me,” Brennan said.
The senior won’t be going too far away. She has been accepted at and will play lacrosse for Worcester State.
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director
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