Ward Melville girls lacrosse falls in matchup with nationally-ranked New Canaan

Ward Melville ran into the fifth-ranked girls lacrosse team in the country Saturday, and it didn’t end well for the Patriots against their opponent from Connecticut. But there was a bigger picture in play for them on this day.

Yes, they fell to New Canaan, 10-4.

Still, they can hope some valuable lessons came out of the loss to help them successfully chase what they really want — the Suffolk Class A crown — after falling in the semis last season.

And then there was the reason they were playing this game at a neutral site.

Twenty of the top teams in the tri-state area descended on Cold Spring Harbor High Saturday for a showcase event known as Gains for Brains. So there was a 10-game schedule across two fields for one good cause — the Making Headway Foundation.

“It’s a great thing that they do here,” Ward Melville coach Stephanie Peragallo said.

Gains for Brains, which dates to 2015, serves as a fundraiser. It’s meant to benefit kids who have spinal cord and brain tumors and their families, and to provide research money.

“At the end of the day, it’s about coming to play for the foundation and not just for the game itself,” Patriots senior goalie Ava Carrillo said.

The game itself against a very good defensive team illustrated issues to clean up and provided an overriding theme that could be stored for future use by Ward Melville (8-3).

“I think the girls played great,” Peragallo said. “But it’s one of those things where now we’re learning making mistakes can translate into goals quite easily when you play really talented teams. So it’s a great experience for us.”

Isabelle Janiga made a long run in from the left side before heading in front and beating Carillo 4:28 into the game.

Mia Pirozzi came around the cage, shot from the left side and found the netting to tie it at 1.

But Madeline Tully, who posted three goals, converted off a free position play for New Canaan (6-1-1), then scored just before time expired in the first quarter to make it 3-1.

Then Emma Row, who also scored three times for the Rams, sandwiched two goals around one by Lexi Tully that followed a turnover. So it was 6-1 at halftime.

The hole could’ve been deeper if not for the VCU-bound Carrillo, who made six saves overall, including four in the second quarter.

Emilia Retzlaff, Kate Spinks and Ava Simonton scored in the second half for the Patriots, but they couldn’t get closer than four. They did leave a good impression, though.

“Great program,” New Canaan coach Kristin Woods said. “Very well coached. They had some solid defensive stops and their goalie played great.”