Lacrosse defeats VES in a heart-stopper to reach VISAA Division II title game
Top-seeded Foxcroft got a goal from junior Alex G. with 27:08 seconds remaining and a key save from sophomore goaltender Marley B. with 9:02 seconds left to hold off upset-minded Virginia Episcopal, 13-12, Friday afternoon and advance to the final of the VISAA Division II tournament for the third year in a row.
Senior Emma R. came up with a heroic post-intermission effort to set up the victory. In the second half, the Radford University signee scored six times, including five consecutive goals in a span of 7:35. The string erased a 3-goal deficit to give Foxcroft the lead.
Foxcroft will play No. 2 Highland, an 20-10 winner over No. 3 Nansemond-Suffolk, for the championship Saturday at 1 p.m. on the campus of Randolph-Macon University in Ashland, Va.
Foxcroft is the defending Division II champion, but for much of the semifinal match against fourth-seeded VES, it hardly resembled a championship team as poor passing, lack of hustle on ground balls and loss of key draws killed several scoring opportunities.
“We sure didn’t look like a championship team,” Coach Patrick Finn said. “We were outhustled the entire game. We were beaten a lot on the draws and our play on ground balls was very poor. It was frustrating to watch. . . .
“Virginia Episcopal was better than we thought. We hadn’t played them since last year. They had some quality players. It is very difficult to repeat as a champion. We’ll have to see if we want it badly enough.”
Despite Finn’s frustration, Foxcroft did rise to the occasion in the end. Emma's five-goal barrage lifted Foxcroft from a 10-7 deficit to a 12-11 lead with 4:42 to play. A VISAA All-State selection last year and two-time DAC Player of the Year, Emma finished the game with a season-high eight goals.
Alex, the team’s leading scorer and DAC Player of the Year this season, scored three times and assisted on two of Emma's goals. Alex’s game-winning goal came on a leaping shot from the right side of the net after she had outraced her defender from the left side and behind the net.
Juniors Malan J. and Pipsy S. scored the other goals for Foxcroft, but it was two stops by Marley – her only two saves of the game – in the final 1:17 that saved the game for Foxcroft.
Marley started the game but was replaced by Marias B. '16 with 2:35 left in the first half and VES leading 7-4, and did not start the second half. But she returned after VES boosted its lead to 9-5 and made a stick save on a bouncing shot from in close with 1:17 remaining and the score deadlocked at 12-12. She then came up with the biggest save of the game with a catch of a free shot with just 9 seconds remaining.
In the first half, Emma scored twice and Foxcroft raced to a 4-1 lead at the 13:47 mark, but VES scored six goals in a row in a 10-minute spurt to take a 7-4 lead. Alex then scored with 37:24 remaining to cut the deficit to 7-5 at the half.
“That was a very key goal for us,” Coach Finn said.
So was Alex's last goal -- the game winner!
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An all-girls boarding and day school in Northern Virginia, Foxcroft prepares young women in grades 9-12 for success in college and in life. Our outstanding academic program offers challenging courses, including Advanced Placement classes and an innovative STEM program. Our premiere equestrian program is nationally recognized, and our athletic teams have won conference and state championships. Experience the best in girls' boarding schools: visit Foxcroft.
