Stories

Scoring Punch: Western girls lacrosse pulls away from Albemarle

Photo by Bart Isley

 

When a game is breaking down for whatever reason and turnovers are piling up, every good team needs a player they can turn to that can go get a goal. 

 

In those situations, Western Albemarle has Duke-signee Mattie Shearer, and Tuesday night against Albemarle, Shearer went and got eight goals to help spark the Warriors to a 19-10 victory over the Patriots.

 

Shearer does so many different things for the Warriors, from transitions to defense to draws, but she was a menace on the fastbreak in the second half after Albemarle closed the gap to 9-7. The Warriors went on a 5-0 run that put the game out of reach for the Patriots, with Shearer scoring three of the five goals during that stretch. 

 

“The game’s not going to be perfect all the time, but it’s how we come back from those mistakes that makes us a good team,” Shearer said. “We really did come back really well.”

 

The Warriors’ offense also got a boost from Sophie Lanahan who notched four goals and two assists on four shots as well as Mallory Greene who finished with four goals. Defensively, sophomore Kennedy Buntrock stepped up in the cage for Western in a big way with seven saves, rising to the occasion while getting her first taste of the rivalry clash with the Patriots. 

 

“Since we didn’t get a varsity season last year this was really my first year on varsity and it’s fun, I love it,” Buntrock said. “I’m excited to keep playing in (games like) these for the remainder of high school.”

 

Western’s critical run in the second half changed the game, but a wild first half and early second half led up that stretch. The Warriors jumped out to a 4-0 lead and then Albemarle answered with back-to-back goals to force a Western timeout to re-evaluate things. Western extended the lead back out, but two more back-to-back goals from the Patriots’ Leigh Young (who finished with a hat trick) cut the Western lead to 6-4. Albemarle couldn’t seem to take advantage in situations where it forced a turnover all night, struggling to turn those opportunities into points.

 

“We came up with a lot of caused turnovers but I felt like every time we gave it back before we did anything with it,” said Albemarle coach Brittany McElheny. “Our offense isn’t young but they’re not experienced either. Last year was supposed to be our young year and nobody got last year.”

 

Meghan Pitsenberger also finished with a hat trick and Sophia Bombaderi notched two goals on the night. 

 

Outside that high-scoring trio of Shearer, Greene and Lanahan, the Warriors got goals from Reeve Goldstein, Maggie Craytor and Katie Alhusen. Libby Carbo dished out three assists. 

 

The Warriors will look to keep some momentum going when they square off with Charlottesville Friday while Albemarle hosts Fluvanna County the same night.

 

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