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‘‘We have had a lot of upward momentum the last few games, and we have been coming on stronger,” Springbrook coach Emily Benson said. ‘‘A lot of our juniors have stepped up on offense, and our passing has been a lot stronger than it was in the beginning of the season. We were very excited for this game.”

According to B-CC coach Claire Wagner, the fourth-seeded Barons were also excited, but rather than fuel a fast start, that may have forced them to come out tight.

After scoring the first two goals of the game — the first off the stick of junior Leslie Grill and the second from leading scorer Shay Smith — B-CC was slow to react to the speedsters in the midfield for Springbrook (8-4). Senior Hanh Nguyen corralled loose balls and blew through the midfield, assisting Kessler twice and then scoring a goal of her own, as the Blue Devils stormed back to take the lead. Goals by Kristin Pena and Jessica Hasset completed a five-goal run for Springbrook.

‘‘Our defense was off today,” B-CC coach Claire Wagner said. ‘‘They outran us a little bit, and it seemed like they wanted it more than we did. That is a huge part of high school lacrosse. It’s all mental.”

In fact, after letting the Blue Devils build a lead, B-CC (8-4) fought back towards the end of the first half. Grill and Smith scored again, and Catherine Mirsky and Liza Amaling scored to pull the game even at six goals a piece. Amaling then wristed another shot past Springbrook goalie Katie Carlson-Lynch to give the Barons a one-goal lead, and the home crowd sensed the worst was behind them.

But the defense faltered again, allowing Nguyen and Kessler to hook up for three second-half scores. On one especially pretty play, Nguyen sprinted behind the net, and lofted a pass over the head of B-CC goalie Maggie Cahill to Kessler, who jumped and slapped the ball into the net. It was one of seven consecutive goals the Blue Devils used to ice the game.

‘‘We got beat,” Wagner said. ‘‘Not having Claire Leavengood-Boxer [a senior defender who was attending her sister’s college graduation] threw us off, because she is a stabilizing force on the defensive end. But, as hard as we tried, they were just getting all the opportunities, and that’s why they won.”

As disappointing as the loss was for all the Barons, it was particularly disappointing for seniors Smith, Maggie Cahill, Kayleigh Herrick-Reynolds, Leavengood-Boxer and Courtney Dower. Those players have played their last games for B-CC, and in doing so capped distinguished careers.

Smith finished her season with a team-high 48 goals and set a new B-CC scoring record this year. Herrick-Reynolds scored 17 goals to emerge as a reliable scoring option behind the big three of Smith, junior April Cahill and Grill. And Maggie Cahill capped two solid years in net by anchoring the Barons’ defensive efforts. Those players will be missed.

‘‘They were all a big part of this team,” Wagner said. ‘‘We are going to have a lot of things to work on for next season.”

However, there is a nucleus to build around. Though April Cahill scored just two goals Saturday, the junior hit 40 for the season, and is already above 100 career goals. Grill returns as well, as does freshman Campbell Burr, who was tied for second on the team in ground balls. However, that fact does not lessen the bitterness of a season ending prematurely.