The Tewksbury Memorial High School field hockey team held a successful cancer fundraiser Monday afternoon to honor Meghan McCarthy who passed away in January after having been diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme (brain tumor) her freshman year of high school. 

The fundraiser wasn't the only thing the Redmen (10-2-2) had to smile about on Monday. They also defeated Chelmsford 3-1, propelling them ahead of the Lions in the Merrimack Valley Conference standings.

Tewksbury coach Patricia Ryser was delighted with the turnout, and was glad her players got to host the fundraiser in honor of their late friend and teammate. 

"So many of our girls were really connected to Meghan, especially a lot of the seniors so they all really wanted to do something," said Ryser. 

"We really tried to involve the whole school and a lot of people in the community, so this was a big day. It turned out awesome, and we raised a ton of money for the American Cancer Society," she added. 

The centerpiece of the fundraiser was the highly anticipated rematch against Chelmsford. Tewksbury and Chelmsford rank among the top teams in the conference, and battled to a scoreless tie back on Sept. 23.

Chelmsford coach Maura Devaney and the Lions pitched in to help the cause, and generously offered a donation before the start of the match. 

"(Devaney) was great and jumped on board when we asked them if they wanted to play us during the fundraiser, and they presented us with a donation. Each kid also brought a gift which was really nice," said Ryser.

The Tewksbury players gave McCarthy's mother a bracelet during the opening ceremony, and other teams in the Merrimack Valley Conference also came out to offer support. 

The Andover High School field hockey captains came out to donate flowers to McCarthy's mother and support the cause, as well. 

Redmen Show Heart, Defeat Lions 3-1

Despite the Lions taking a 1-0 lead at the half, it was evident that the Tewksbury girls were not going to be defeated on their special day. The Redmen mustered up a furious comeback in the second half to secure a 3-1 victory. 

"I would say this is (the best we've played all season). The team really wanted the win because it was such a big day, and they were ready and they showed that," said Ryser. 

The first goal came with six minutes to go in the first half when Chelmsford's Katrina Squeri tucked the ball past Tewksbury's goalkeeper Rachel Pendleton. Unfortunately for the Lions, there would not be much action in front of the Tewksbury net for the remainder of the game.

Although the Redmen were trailing 1-0 at the half, they made an aggressive comeback in the second 30 minutes. They came out strong, and Tewksbury's Liz Connolly scored just two minutes into the second half. 

Tewksbury continued to relentlessly attack the Chelmsford net, and just five minutes later captain Ally Greene scored. Just like that, the Redmen took a 2-1 lead. 

Shelby Madore tacked on another goal just three minutes later, widening the scoring gap. 

The Lions were unable to recover, and Tewksbury locked in the win. With the victory, the Redmen move into second place in the league, now only trailing to powerhouse Andover. 

Next up, Tewksbury will take on Central Catholic on Wednesday at home at 3:30 p.m.