CUMBERLAND – If Lucy Biggs only scored two goals in a game last season, it usually meant bad things for the Cumberland girls lacrosse team.
This year, it means something different.
Last year as Biggs went, the Clippers went and it was nearly good enough to get them to the Division II final. The senior remains a star for Cumberland, but the addition of some talented freshmen have changed how the team operates. The Clippers showed off their balance Friday against Burrillville, coming out blazing hot and never letting up in a 15-5 win over the Broncos.
“This season we’ve been working on consistently passing and I think we came out with that in the first quarter and didn’t have many turnovers,” Biggs said. “That momentum lasted the whole game.”
“It gives us a lot of confidence to keep going,” said Cumberland freshman Hadley Henderson, who scored four goals in the win. “I think we’ve had a few ups and downs here and there, but knowing we can beat a really good team – because they are – it gives us the strength to keep going.”
Biggs was the show last spring, scoring 59 goals and earning a Second Team All-State nod. When she took over games, Cumberland won. When teams faceguarded her and threw multiple defensive players to prevent her from taking over – like Lincoln School did in the Division II semifinals – it always end well.
Coming into this season Biggs was expected to carry the Clippers and while she’s had a terrific campaign – she’s well over 40 goals so far – some new additions have changed the dynamic of the team’s offense.
Henderson and fellow freshman Ella Mancuso have sparkled as scoring options for Cumberland and showed their offensive prowess against Burrillville. In the first quarter, Mancuso popped two home and finished the game with three goals.
Up 7-2 at halftime, Henderson helped put the game away in the third quarter. When she had the ball in her stick, there wasn’t a Bronco that had a chance to stay with her. Henderson scored three times and when the quarter ended, the Clippers were one goal away from getting a running clock.
“She’s so good and she’s only a freshman,” said Biggs of Henderson. “She’s only going to get better.”
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“They were all so welcoming and even with super-welcoming people, it takes a while to get adjusted from youth to high school,” Henderson said. “It’s been fun for me and I know it has been for Ella too.
“We love it and we love playing with them because they’re so encouraging to everyone and so nice to everyone.”
The freshmen weren’t the only ones who played a big role in the offense on Thursday. Senior Brooke Tellier has taken on a larger role in the offense, stepping in for the graduated Abby Skurka, and had three goals in the first quarter and four in the game.
As for Biggs? Well, she was quiet, scoring one goal in the first-quarter binge and adding the final tally of the game. Biggs – who will play at Bryant University next spring – didn’t need to score to affect the game. Burrillville’s defensive game plan was centered on slowing her down and while that might have worked last season, with the newfound weapons its clearly not an advisable plan for opponents going forward.
“[Friday] they came out face-guarding right away and it was great to know my teammates had my back,” Biggs said. “They were able to step up into that scoring role when I was being marked.”
The loss was Burrillville’s second of the season and first to a Division II opponent. The Broncos record drops to 11-2 overall, but they maintain a narrow lead on Cumberland for second in the D-II RPI standings and will look to get back on track on Tuesday, May 12, when they travel to play South Kingstown.
Cumberland is 10-2, third in the D-II RPI – well ahead of fourth-place Cranston West – and the win was its fourth straight following a loss to first-place Westerly on April 27.
The Clippers learned a lot from that game – a 15-11 defeat where they became the first team to score double digits against the Bulldogs this spring – and have an understanding of what their position is in the division and what they need to do if they want to get to Brown University and potentially win a title.
“Just consistency,” said Henderson of what Cumberland needs to work on most. “We’ll keep working, keep passing, catching and working all together. We’ll do the last few games and the connections will keep building and being together will be amazing.”
“We’re super hungry. Every year we’ve gotten further and further,” Biggs said. “Last year was a tough loss, but we’re ready to come back this year.”
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal:Score of Cumberland at Burrillville girls lacrosse on Friday May 8 2026
