Western Albemarle’s girls lacrosse team knew in their third meeting with Albemarle, after a run-and-shoot regular season finale, that draw controls were going to be absolutely critical.
With a nearly 3-to-1 advantage on the draw, the Warriors got the job done and held on for a 15-12 win in the Charlottesville Group final Friday night in Crozet.
“That was a huge part of the game because it just shifts the momentum and gives you the opportunity to score rather than having it on defense the entire time,” said Western midfielder Olivia Rentz.
Rentz and Ellie Allen combined for 10 draw controls with five each, totaling more than half of the Warriors’ 19 on the night. Albemarle scratched out seven but with the deficit had to come up with defensive stops to hang in the game with the Warriors.
“That was crucial to our game tonight,” Allen said. “It kind of gave us confidence too, it help us build momentum.”
The Patriots came up with those stops and powered back to an 11-10 lead with 15:03 to play, forcing Western to settle itself down.
“I’m not going to lie, there was some panic,” Allen said. “But we were able to calm it down and definitely winning the draw controls gave us some assurance that we still have this, we can still get the upperhand.”
The Warriors closed out the game on a 5-1 run, sparked by several of those critical draw controls that kept the ball out of a dangerous, multiple-faceted Albemarle attack’s sticks.
Allen and Sammie Magargee each had four goals for the Warriors, with Magargee also dishing out a pair of assists. Magargee came up with a particularly critical goal with 1:42 left.
A minute earlier, the Patriots had cut the Warriors lead to just one and after Reilly Funk won the draw for the Warriors, they appeared set to try and burn clock and look for the perfect chance to extend the lead. Magargee got trapped up top but split a pair of defenders with some nifty footwork and sprinted toward the cage. She buried the subsequent shot and pushed Western to a 14-12 lead that seemed to sink any hopes of an Albemarle comeback.
Alison Berg scored two goals on the night, but they couldn’t have come at a much better time for the Warriors, as she scored them back-to-back to turn an 11-11 deadlock into a 13-11 lead for Western with 8:46 to play in the game. Kate Snyder also finished with two goals while Reilly Funk and Hanna Schuler each had a goal.
Albemarle’s squad got a particularly productive night from Carolyn Chapman who notched four goals. Eight different Patriots scored on the night as Albemarle shared the ball extremely well in their offensive half.
“I think one of our strengths is that we don’t have one star,” said Albemarle coach Laurie Pratt. “(Having eight players score) just shows how deep this team is.”
Julia Hartman had two goals while Mary Earles provided much of the Patriots’ threat on a tough night at the draw with four controls.
Both teams advance to the South Zone tournament, with Albemarle hitting the road to take on Salem and Western hosting E.C. Glass late next week.
