For the second time in as many years in the postseason, cross-city rival St. Mary Academy-Bay View handed East Providence High School a gut-wrenching loss in the Division III girls' lacrosse playoffs.

Last spring, the Bengals defeated the Townies in an epic, quadruple-overtime encounter in the 2023 D-III title game by a 9-8 count at Brown University.

Last Thursday afternoon, May 23, on the EPHS campus, Bay View again got the better of the Townies late, though this time in regulation by an 8-7 score in the 2024 playoff quarterfinals.

Maggie Lima potted what proved the game-winning goal with just 47 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. The tally capped a four-goal rally over the final 12 minutes by the guests, which saw them rebound from a 7-5 deficit heading into the last period.

Following Lima's goal, Bengals goalie Kate Shields then did her best to help run out the clock, stealing an East Providence pass after the Townies won the ensuing face-off. She nearly pulled it off, shielding the ball for around 20 seconds, but EP got one last possession and look at the net. The shot, however, sailed high over the crossbar and time ran out on the Townies' season.

The result was actually the reverse of the teams' lone regular season meeting. East Providence edged Bay View for the fourth seed and the initial home playoff date by virtue of its 8-7 victory when the two sides met in a league game a month ago to the date of the postseason encounter, April 23.

In that outing, Alyssa Karalekas and Kenna Wigginton each netted hat-tricks for the Townies. Dylan Flynn and Kloey Iacavone added one goal each. Netminder Ava Williams made six saves.

For the Bengals, Annabelle Tracy scored five of their tallies. Lima and MacKenna Buffrey had one apiece. And goalie Shields made eight saves.

Last week, Wigginton scored the first goal of the playoff contest about two-and-a-half minutes in after she was fouled inside the 12 meter half circle. Less than a minute later Karalekas drove to the net and beat Shields for EP's second tally.

The game continued apace when Buffrey got the Bengals on the board with 8:09 to go in the first quarter. Midway through the period Wigginton notched her second. Tracy got one back for the visitors with only 39 seconds to go to leave it 3-2 Townies by period's end.

Williams and the post rebuffed Bay View early in the second quarter, preventing the Bengals from taking the lead and potentially opening up a significant margin. The EP keeper made one conventional save, used her head and helmet to knock away another try and twice the guests sent shots off the bars.

Lima finally slipped one past Williams with just 1:18 left before the break to tie the score then Tracy put Bay View ahead when she scored with just 22 second to go.

Wigginton led the Townies' reply out of intermission, scoring her third goal for the hat-trick as the senior rolled from around the net to beat Shields with 7:55 showing. Wigginton next scored for the fourth and fifth times after being fouled to put EP up 6-4. Iacavone then made it 7-4 hosts when she scored with 2:45 left in the third quarter.

Another Tracy goal on a fast-break counter attack less than three minutes into the fourth quarter started Bay View's response. It continued when Payton Sullivan scored with 4:09 remaining to make it 7-5. Lima also potted the tying tally after she was fouled with 2:41 to go. The senior's game-winner came after East Providence failed on a couple of clear opportunities to clear the ball away from 12-meter fan.

For the Townies, seeded fourth in the playoffs, their 2024 season comes to a close with an 8-7 record in league games. The fifth-seeded Bengals improved to 9-6 and advances to a semifinal round game at top-seeded and unbeaten Westerly Tuesday night, May 28, at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs finished the regular season with a 14-0 record, including 14-4 and 16-4 victories over Bay View.