This was not the time to take an opponent lightly.
Not like Saturday, when Saints Peter and Paul High’s girls lacrosse team got a battle from Easton at the annual Talbot Lacrosse Association Bull Roast, winning by its narrowest margin of the year.
And certainly not with a fourth consecutive Eastern Shore Independent Athletic Conference title on the line.
No, the Sabres took control from the outset Monday on their home field, winning the first three draw controls and sticking three goals into the net on the way to a 20-3 victory over Salisbury School in the ESIAC championship.
“Everybody uses the word dynasty, but that would be the dream,” Sts. Peter & Paul head coach Alison Beyer said after the Sabres extended their win streak against ESIAC competition to 27 games. “Things like this you never want to to end.”
Sts. Peter & Paul dropped its season-opener to St. Mary’s, 16-9, and never lost again, reeling off 14 consecutive victories. And though three of those wins were against Salisbury School (8-5), Beyer said received praise from Dragons head coach Caroline Bishop.
“I think they recognize they have a lot to work on, and I think they take a lot from us,” Beyer said of Salisbury. “Caroline appreciates playing us. She even made that comment. She said that she takes a lot from playing us. And I love that. It makes me feel good to know that other teams can learn from the talent that we have.
“And I just love that both teams had fun, and that’s what it’s all about,” Beyer continued. “Even when Salisbury scored they cheered. It was just fun to watch them out there having fun.”
But Sts. Peter & Paul took control early. Unlike Saturday, when it fell behind 5-2 to Easton, the Sabres had a 3-0 lead less than 5 minutes into the game. Senior Morgan Quade set up goals by Eden Zimmerman and Caroline Ewing, capping her high school career with a seven-assist, one-goal performance. Emery Zimmerman tacked on the third goal as Sts. Peter & Paul built a 7-0 lead after one quarter.
“I think today everybody got a little piece of the puzzle,” said Beyer, who got goals from eight different players. “So it was a great way to end the season. Everybody got playing time and got to show a little bit of their skills to end the season.”
Junior Kendall Kroniser finished with four goals and her younger sister, sophomore Kylie Kroniser, notched six saves. A sophomore, Ewing also had four goals to go with two assists, while classmate Avery McCall had a hat trick and a pair of assists. Two other sophomores, Eden Zimmerman and Eryn Callahan, finished with two goals and one assist, respectively.
And then there were freshmen Emma Hainey (two goals, assist), Kate Sweeney (two goals), and Emery Zimmerman who got into the scoring, and along with Kendall Kroniser and the strong sophomore class figure to have the Sabres challenging for another title next year.
“The progression and the maturity just from seeing them play in the winter league, and how far they even came from that to where they are today, just gives me chills,” Beyer said. “Knowing that everybody is coming back except for one (Quade) is just exciting.
“It’s a little overwhelming,” Beyer said of the Sabres’ conference winning streak and title string. “I hope we can maintain it. I look at the girls coming up and for the sake of them, I’m hopeful they get to see what the girls I’ve coached in the past got to see.”
Quade, who is set to continue her playing career at Loyola University next season, earned her third straight ESIAC Player of the Year honor. The senior star finished her high school career with more than 200 goals and over 400 points.
Ewing, McCall, Murphy, Emery Zimmerman, Kendall Kroniser and Kylie Kroniser were named to the all-ESIAC team, while Eden Zimmerman earned honorable-mention honors.
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