By Janice Calvi-Ruimerman
(May 14, 2025) — May 13, 2025, may have been a sunny Tuesday in Higganum as North Branford tried to bring some thunder, but the Haddam-Killingworth High School Girls Lacrosse Team quickly quelled that.
The Cougars meant business as draw and possession by Seanna (SeaSea) Ruimerman gained HKHS a position on the board, followed by defender Madalynn (MaddieCat) Catalano calling for “middie-back” as she sailed down field, passing to Lauren Wiese with a toss to Chloe Oboma for goal two.
As the Thunderbirds goalie attempted a clear, Ava Ramino stole the ball for the third HK goal. With a foul on play out at the eight-meter mark, Ramino threw a long-arm goal to bring the Cougars to a 4-1 lead going into the second quarter. The second was no different for North Branford as the defensive team of Mia McLaughlin, Aubrey Lonergan, Maddie Catalano and Chloe Engler kept those birds in a formidable cage.
Gabrielle (Gabby) Williams was not giving these birdies any crackers today as she continuously batted away the T-Birds. Possession in the second was dominated by HK, with Ava on draw and SeaSea and Kiera on point. After goal five by Ruimerman, goal six resulted from a lob over to Sydney Wrinn, quickly followed by another pass from Ruimerman to Wrinn to Weise for goal seven. With the call of a foul on the “fowls,” Ruimerman brought the Cougars to 8 and, with a left side pass from Ramino to Ruimerman, HK went into the half with the score at 9-3.
The second half seemed to ignite North Branford, but that spark soon fizzled as Kiera Lundt from Ramino’s draw, passed to Chloe O then to Ramino for the tenth goal, followed by a steal and a goal by Ruimerman leaving the Thunderbirds with an 11-5 scoreboard going into the fourth quarter. A sidearm penalty shot by SeaSea was the twelfth, followed by possession by Ava to Lauren back to Ava for the thirteenth. The stands roared as Lundt stole possession, passing to Weise for the fourteenth. And the final goal was a multi-pass downfield to Sydney Wrinn for the carry to Ava Ramino for the final goal sending the Birds back to their nest with a 15-8 loss to the Cougars.
Goals: Oboma (1) Ramino (5) Ruimerman (6) Wiese (2) Wrinn (1)
