Despite a hat trick from junior captain Sorelle Lawton, the Dartmouth High girls lacrosse team’s bid for a state title came to an end after the sixth-seeded Indians lost 16-4 to 11th-seeded Needham High in the first round of the MIAA state tournament on June 18.

The Rockets lived up to their name, scoring four goals within the first five minutes of the matchup. By the end of the first quarter, Needham would be up 8-1.

Dartmouth would bridge the gap a bit during the second quarter, as junior goalkeeper Molly Rioux made a number of key saves to allow Lawton to score twice — along with not allowing a single score from the Rockets.

But ultimately, Dartmouth was unable to keep up with Needham’s offense during the final half.

“It’s disappointing that the season ends, but overall, we put in a good effort,” head coach Chris Tresca said.

A big issue, he noted, was with trying to generate any offensive momentum. The coach added that for most of the game, the Indians remained in their defensive zone.

“It’s tough when you have limited opportunities,” Tresca said. “When we made a play, we just couldn’t build on it.”

Despite the loss, Tresca said there was a lot to be proud of from this year’s team.

Some highlights included: playing a whole season, being able to host a tournament game, and winning the conference crown after achieving a 9-2 record.

“I’m really proud of the season we had,” he said.

Tresca added that the loss is also a good building moment for his young team, noting that “a lot of these girls were JV kids two years ago” during the last spring season.

“Being part of this, I hope they recognize what it takes to play at the next level — Needham’s a talented team,” the coach said.

Lawton, who scored three of the four goals, also saw a lot of positives from her team’s return to tournament play.

“I thought we fought hard,” she said. “And after not playing for two years, that was pretty good.”

As the Indians prepare for the next season, Lawton said for her senior year that “I’m going to give it everything I’ve got.”

“We’re ready to go next year and give it an even better effort,” she said.