National HS Girls' Notebook: D.C.-Balto Showdown
by Jeff Seidel | Special to Lacrosse Magazine Online
Jeff Seidel covers high school lacrosse for Lacrosse Magazine Online. Check back each week for his regional breakdown of what's what around nation. Submit notes or story ideas to jseid1234@aol.com.
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Good Counsel will get a good gauge of its readiness for a seventh straight Washington (D.C.) Catholic Athletic Conference title run on Saturday when it plays McDonogh, the top high school girls' lacrosse team in the Baltimore area. © John Strohsacker/LaxPhotos.com |
MIDWEST
John Burroughs lost some key players from last year’s state championship team, but the Bombers remain one of Missouri’s toughest squads this season.
The Bombers have won three in a row and improved to 11-1-1 on the season. They play in two conferences and have a 6-0 record in the Missouri Women’s Athletic Association and are 5-0 in the state’s Division I.
Sophomore Charlotte Martin has been a big spark to the team’s offense despite the fact that it’s only her second year playing the sport. She’s now got 47 goals and 21 assists for 68 points, leading the team this season.
Head coach Peter Tasker said the Bombers needed Martin's help because junior Emily Valli (committed to UMass already) is out for the season with a torn ACL suffered last fall.
“She has stepped up her game,” Tasker said of Martin. “She has helped carry the team on her shoulders.”
Senior captains Emily Smith and Rebecca Malzahn also have pitched in. Smith has 26 goals and seven assists for 33 points, while Malzahn boasts 19 goals and five assists for 24 points.
Goalie Jenn Hatfield also has stepped up and been strong. She has a goals against average of just 5.97 in her first year as a starter.
The Bombers are trying to repeat last year’s 20-1 effort that earned them the first state title in school history, and even though their offense has been strong, Tasker sees a few other things as the key.
“We really have to play our best defense and be able to transition the ball,” he said. “If we do that well, we are in the hunt.”
MID-ATLANTIC
Good Counsel will begin its quest for a seventh straight Washington (D.C.) Catholic Athletic Conference championship when the playoffs begin on Monday.
The Falcons are 15-2 this season overall and have won 65 straight conference games. And just for fun, they’ll play McDonogh on Saturday, ranked No. 1 in the Baltimore Sun’s poll. Good Counsel is No. 1 in the Washington Post.
Coach Michael Haight said that game will be a good measuring stick of where his team is heading into post-season play. His team's got plenty of offense.
Junior Brigid Smith is the team’s top scorer with 93 points (46 goals, 47 assists). She’s committed to Duke. The Lechner sisters are both headed to Towson and each has 60 points – Kelly (junior, 38 goals and 22 assists) and Shannon (senior, 35 goals and 25 assists).
Morgan Stephens and Molly Shawhan each have 34 goals and 22 assists for 56 points. Stephens is a senior and is going to Notre Dame. Shawhan is a junior who’s committed to Virginia.
Goalie Christina Sheridan is a senior with 138 saves, and she’s going to Boston University next year.
Haight said the Falcons know that every team wants to get a shot at them and will play hard.
“It’s kind of exciting for them to know that other teams are going to give them [their best] for every game,” he said. “I absolutely think it keeps us on our toes. It keeps us playing hard. It keeps us practicing hard.”
SOUTH
Another season, another Florida state title for the Vero Beach girls.
Vero Beach won its fifth straight state crown and a 38th
consecutive game last weekend – but it wasn’t easy. The
Indians needed to hang on for a 10-9 victory over Lake
Brantley to get the title.
TCPalm.com reported that Vero Beach jumped to a quick 4-1 lead and
eventually stretched it to 10-5 with under nine minutes left.
Jennifer LeFew got the first three goals of the
second half after the Indians had a 6-3 lead at the break.
But Lake Brantley kept working and cut the lead to 10-9 with 18 seconds left. It wasn’t enough, however, as Vero Beach hung on for the victory.
WEST
The Arizona Girls Lacrosse Association’s championship games are set for Friday night.
Division I will feature Chaparral versus Horizon. The Division II game will have Desert Vista playing Horizon for that title.
Chaparral rolled over Corona Del Sol, 21-6, in the semifinals. Horizon routed Pinnacle, 17-6, in the other semifinal for Division I.
In Division II, Horizon scored an 18-7 victory over Pinnacle. Desert Vista had a tougher time, edging Notre Dame Prep, 12-8, to advance.
NORTHEAST
Carly Eskenazi’s eight-point effort helped Kinnelon (N.J.) scored a tough 13-10 victory at Montclair earlier this week.
NJ.com reported that Eskenazi led the way with seven goals and one assist as Kinnelon improved to 7-4 against a surprisingly tough Montclair (3-10) team. Montclair led 6-5 at halftime before Kinnelon got eight of the 12 goals in the second half.
Heidi Annaheim also helped with two goals and two assists. Goalie Maya Stawnychy came up big with 16 saves.
Jena Silverman led Montclair with four goals, and Clare Keating added three.
