It’s been nearly two years since the Dartmouth High girls lacrosse team last competed at Memorial Stadium. 

Despite the gap in play, the Indians looked to be in midseason form as they beat Bridgewater-Raynham 16-8 to start their spring season on May 6.

“It was a good start,” Head Coach Chris Tresca said. “It’s always a little nerve wracking at the beginning to see how things will turn out, but this was a good return.”

The Indians brought the offense early, scoring five goals in the first quarter alone — and were up 11-6 at the end of the half.

The pacing slowed a bit during the third quarter, with the Trojans gaining more possession time, but the defense stepped up to limit any scoring chances and regained the momentum to end the game.

Tresca said he was very proud of his team’s effort, especially with the girls’ ability to “weather the storm” during the third.

“Overall, I think we played a very sound game,” he added.

The coach said he was also pleased with how the girls managed to adjust to the new non-Covid rules the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association placed on the season.

Under the MIAA’s rules, players will no longer have to stop after each whistle — similar to how the boys play. The game is now split into four quarters instead of two halves.

To prepare his squad for the changes, the coach noted that the MIAA allowed small preseason practices, along with a scrimmage against Pembroke at the end of last month.

Junior midfielder Sorelle Lawton said that scrimmage was especially helpful in getting the team ready, noting that only a few team members had played with club teams over the past summer.

“I think it adjusted everyone really well,” she said. “A lot of these girls hadn’t played in two years, but they definitely got back into it.”

Junior goalkeeper Molly Rioux agreed, noting that the Pembroke game really allowed the Indians to perfect their offense. 

She noted that during the scrimmage, the girls only managed less than two minutes of offense during the first half.

“It was a rough start — it was pretty much all defense,” she said. “But we were really able to work that out and break it down, which helped us today.”

Lawton added that she and her fellow teammates are still getting used to running up and down the field while wearing a mask.

“As a midfield, it’s rough,” she said. “You’re just sucking in your mask.”

But no matter the restrictions, Rioux said the team will make the best of it to be back on the field.

“We just want to play,” she said.