Norwell, the defending Division II state champions, has been a constant thorn in the side of the Lady Dragon lacrosse team for the past few years. On Thursday afternoon in Duxbury, it looked like that thorn was about to be removed.

In weather conditions only a duck could love, Duxbury held a 5-4 lead at halftime, but couldn’t hold on and had to settle for an 8-8 tie with the Clippers.

Duxbury had a chance to break the hex with two minutes to go and possession of the ball, but couldn’t get it by Norwell goalie Nikki Lamparelli.

Keri Gould led Duxbury with three goals, while Hannah Murphy chipped in with two. Olivia McCarthy, Christina Balzotti and Molly Zaverucha finished off the scoring for the Lady Dragons.

“Unfortunately we had a tie and possession in the last two minutes where we tried to get the best shot possible,” said Coach Kelly Jurgens. “Hopefully we’ll get a second chance in the tournament. I think we are at the level we want to be at, we just need to recognize we have the talent to match anyone out there.”

After a tough game with Norwell, Saturday’s game with Whitman-Hanson was a walk in the park, as Duxbury scored 18 consecutive goals in an 18-1 rout of the Panthers.

Junior midfielder Emily Horton led the scoring barrage with five goals, while Keri Gould notched four.

The regular season schedule ends on Wednesday afternoon when Duxbury travels to Weston for a 4 p.m. battle.