Albemarle girls lacrosse brought the heat early against Monticello Monday in the semifinals of the West Central Division tournament and the Mustangs never bounced back as the Patriots rolled to a 23-10 victory.
“We were moving well in the midfield in transition and really working well in the attack,” said Albemarle coach Laurie Pratt.
By halftime Albemarle was in complete control with a 16-5 lead. With the victory, Albemarle advances to the West Central Division championship game where they’ll get a third shot at archrival Western Albemarle Thursday at 6 p.m. in Crozet.
Connor Carson rolled up 11 points on the afternoon with seven goals and four assists, but she was far from the only Patriot in a groove for the squad’s increasingly explosive offense. Hanna Shaps poured in five goals while Mai Toms and Carolyn Chapman notched a hat trick each. Toms and Shaps each had an assist as well while Ryann Murray and Anna Smith had two goals and two assists.
The Patriots kept pouring in points partially because Kelsey Rund kept stuffing the Mustangs on the other end, piling up 11 saves on the night.
“This game really showed that we’ve been working to come together as a team and to trust each other,” Pratt said. “I think that really showed tonight.”
Monticello got a trio of strong offensive performances of its own with Ari Slate, Sydney Larese and Summer Larese notching a hat trick each. Bailey Mincer chipped in a goal and an assist, but the Mustangs couldn’t match the Patriots’ depth or efficiency — Albemarle missed just seven shots all afternoon.
“Defense is such a hard position in girls lacrosse — the only thing you can do is step up and take it,” said Monticello coach Karen Redd. “We weren’t willing to do that in the first half.”
Monticello will face Charlottesville in a consolation game Thursday for the right to move on to the Section playoffs while Albemarle locks up with Western for the Division tournament title.
