The end of the first half couldn’t have gone too much worse. Western Albemarle coach Tara Hohenshelt didn’t care about focusing on the big run that George Mason made, turning a 2-goal deficit into a 2-goal lead. Instead the Warriors coach implored her players to not panic, stay the course and worry about playing a 50 minute game, not sweat the last five minutes of the first.
“This team just needed to relax,” Hohenshelt said. “They needed to play loose and do how they do and not necessarily worry about the scoreboard. They need to worry about executing, want the ball, play hard.”
To her credit and her team’s response, the Warriors answered by simply owning the second half of their Group 4A semifinal with the Mustangs. By outscoring Mason 9-2 in a 25 minute second half that saw Western win seemingly every groundball and draw, the Warriors advanced to their first state final since the 2010 season thanks to a 16-11 win.
“They did exactly what we needed them to do and we were lucky to get out of here with the win,” Hohenshelt said. “That was a very skilled team we faced.”
Western dug out of two holes, a 3-1 start in the first five minutes the first half where they eventually took a 7-5 lead with just under five minutes to play. But that two goal lead evaporated quickly and going into the break Mason had all the momentum by scoring four unanswered goals to go up 9-7. But that was it thanks a furious start to the second.
“Coming out of halftime I think we realized just how much we wanted it,” said Western’s Kate Snyder. “Coach gave us the halftime speech to make us want it. One of the things we talked about coming out was wanting the ground balls more. That was a big factor in how the game changed in the second half.”
Western poured in three straight to take the lead at 10-9 with Sammie Magargee netting two of those. While the two sides traded goals over the next three minutes, the Warriors then scored three straight again, this time behind a patient and clock-melting passing game to go up 14-10 with Snyder striking twice.
“That wasn’t us stalling, more of us looking for the right opportunities,” Snyder said. “We’re not usually that kind of team that stalls. We were just trying to hold out for a really good possession.”
And that was a welcome sight to Hohenshelt, both that and the way that her team closed out the game.
“It took us an entire season to be able to do that,” Hohenshelt said. “Credit to the team, they did awesome and there was no better time than in the state semifinal.”
While Mason made it a 3-goal game with 2:50 to go, two late goals from Bella Moriconi and Ellie Allen making it a moot point and allowing Western to close out the game at 16-11.
On the night, Ellie Allen had four goals and five draw controls to lead the Warriors in scoring with three goals coming in the first half alone. Snyder had three goals. Sammie Magargee had two goals, an assist and six draw controls. Audrey Russell added a pair of goals and also had six draw controls. Hanna Schuler had two goals and an assist. Keeper Hamilton Ibbeken stopped 11 shots.
Mason’s Haley Zullo led all scorers with her five goal and one assist effort.
Western (13-5) will play for the Group 4A championship on Saturday at 10 a.m. at Liberty University.
“We haven’t been here for five years,” Snyder said. “This group has never been this far. There’s excitement. There’s a lot of anticipation and we’re ready to finish.”
