Wildcat Laxers Clinch Class 4 State Tourney Berth
The top-seeded Rockbridge County High School girls lacrosse team cruised to a 21-0 victory over fourth-seeded E.C. Glass in the semifinals of the Region 4D tournament at The Fields at Southern Virginia University in Buena Vista last Tuesday.
Ruby Goodhart tallied six goals and three assists as the Wildcats (12-2) extended their winning streak to 11 games and booked a return trip to the Class 4 state tournament. RC was slated to play host to No. 2 seed Blacksburg in the championship game on Monday. (See separate story).
Anna Nye notched five goals – including the 100th of her career – along with two assists and 17 draw controls in Tuesday’s semifinal win, while Josie Caldwell totaled five goals and one assist. Emma Johnson posted one goal and five helpers, Emma McKnight had three goals and one assist, and Lola Mulitalo finished with one goal and two assists for RC.
The Wildcats put together a dazzling first quarter, scoring on all nine of their shot attempts to build up a massive early lead. Goodhart got things going early, bagging three of the first four goals, and the sophomore would surpass 100 career points during the game.
“Her basketball background helps her tremendously when she dodges,” RC head coach Susan Nye said of Goodhart. “She has a quick change of speed and direction, which makes her tough to stop.”
The Wildcats never really took their foot off the accelerator, extending their lead to 13-0 by halftime and tacking on eight more goals after the break. And they held the Hilltoppers (9-6) off the scoreboard for the full 48 minutes, with Alyssa Hunter recording five saves to earn the shutout.
“I was actually most impressed with the defense,” Coach Nye said. “It is hard to keep a team to zero goals in a game.”
Mulitalo led the Wildcats with five ground balls, while Johnson notched a team-high three caused turnovers – mostly on RC’s ride between the restraining lines. Kate Lasitter had four draw controls and three takeaways for Glass, and Alex Petty also notched three caused turnovers.
The Wildcats, who have advanced to the Class 4 state semifinals in each of the past four years, seem to have found an extra gear now that the calendar has turned over to the postseason.
“For this season, we have had a ‘one more’ motto,” Coach Nye said. “We are working on one more ground ball, one more CTO [caused turnover], one more assist, one more goal, one more defensive stop. I think now that we are in the playoffs, the players are believing that everything needs to be a little faster and quicker.”
