Shoreline Title Highlights Standout Season for Lyme-Old Lyme Girls Lacrosse

LYME/OLD LYME, CT – After months of practice and hard work, the Lyme-Old Lyme girls lacrosse team achieved its season-long goal by winning the Shoreline Conference championship as the No. 1 seed after an 18-2 regular season. 

The Wildcats carried that momentum into the state tournament, opening with a 7-6 win over Old Saybrook in the first round before falling to Granby Memorial 17-6 in the quarterfinals on June 5. 

The Shoreline championship remained the defining achievement of the season. Junior captain Anna Bussman said the team was confident heading into the conference final against No. 2 seed North Branford on May 28. 

“Since we had such a good record this year, we knew we could do it, but it was all about having confidence in the work we’ve put in throughout the season,” she said. “I don’t think anyone expected it to be easy, but we knew we wanted this more than anything.”

It was the first conference championship since 2017 for the girls lacrosse team.

Head Coach Rob Antonellis credited the work the players put in during offseason training, coupled with their in-season dedication. 

“Winning a championship means everything,” he said. “It’s so hard to beat the best teams in the conference, to stay healthy and to stay focused.”

He said many of his players play on club teams and that his team participates in a winter league.

The championship game was close for the entire 50 minutes. 

“We talk a lot about only worrying about what we can control: mental focus, confidence, and toughness,” he said.

Bussman pointed to the captains’ role in helping the team maintain its composure during the game.

“In a close game like the championship, it is important to not let emotions take over, so I tried to maintain a calm mindset and make sure when we were down or missed a pass that we had our heads up,” she said.

The spring 2026 team was composed of six freshmen, three sophomores, three juniors and four seniors. Seven players earned all-conference honors. 

The team included players who were completely new to the sport, and Antonellis said that the coaching staff was “fortunate” to coach those players.

The four seniors, Anne Marie Hinckley, Maya LeQuire, Elise Marchant and Charlotte Antonino, had a profound effect on the team, according to Antonellis.

“They were critical to this year’s success. We can’t replace them, but we’re eager for new girls to step into similar roles,” he said.

In the Class S state tournament quarterfinal loss to Granby Memorial, Antonellis said the game did not start the way he wanted against the strong, well-coached team.

“We made too many mistakes and had too many turnovers to win at that level. But we didn’t quit playing hard until the end,” he said. 

Bussman said that the memories and friendships she made on this team will always stick with her. 

For Antonellis, there is much to look forward to next season. 

He said he wants his players to rest, and then they will start offseason workouts again.

“A season with a Shoreline championship will always be a success,” he said. “The state tournament has teams we don’t typically face, but we learned from the experience and will be better next year for it.”

The goal is to repeat as Shoreline champions, he said — “and to go further in the state tournament.”

Editor’s Note: i. This sports feature was contributed by Lyme-Old Lyme High School student Fiona Judge.
ii. The article was updated to correct the list of four senior athletes.