RC Girls Win 10th Straight In Lacrosse Match
The Rockbridge County High School girls lacrosse team extended its winning streak with three more convincing victories last week, rolling past Albemarle, Salem and Christiansburg.
The Wildcats have won 10 consecutive games on the field – not including a forfeit victory over Cave Spring on May 6 – and they now boast a 13-1 overall record.
Last Monday, RC cruised past Albemarle 17-1 at The Fields at Southern Virginia University in Buena Vista. Anna Nye led the way with three goals, three assists and 15 draw controls. Emma McKnight posted four goals and three draws for the ’Cats, and Laura Ingram registered two goals and three helpers.
The Wildcats jumped out to a 5-0 advantage less than three minutes into the contest and led 11-0 by the end of the opening frame. Ingram, McKnight and Nye combined for all nine of their goals in the first period, while Lexi Samante and Adrianna Grue also scored as RC quickly put the game out of reach.
In another dominant win, the Wildcats continued to focus on their own performance. The large early lead gave them a chance to finetune their attack.
“On offense, we’re really working on our efficiency,” RC head coach Susan Nye said. “Tonight, it gave us an opportunity to really try to run through plays – trying to get the timing and the cuts, because the feeds are just as hard as making the goal.”
Lola Mulitalo chipped in two goals for the Wildcats, and Samante finished with one goal and one assist. Tadara Cooper paced the RC defense with three caused turnovers.
Ella Lykins notched the only goal of the night for the Patriots (5-8) in the fourth quarter.
Last Monday’s game also marked the Wildcats’ first contest this season on the SVU field. Since RC will also play its postseason games at that facility – a new turf surface is currently being installed on Prasnicki-Ross Field at Veterans Stadium – having one regular-season game at their temporary home under their belts should benefit the Wildcats.
“Really from now on, all of our games are on turf,” coach Nye said. “Playing on turf is just faster. Ground balls are a little bit different. The field is a true 120-yard field, which we’re not used to playing on.
“It’s very nice to have a little bit of experience” before the postseason starts, she added.
RC 14, Salem 1
RC moved on to pick up a 14-1 road win over Salem last Wednesday.
Anna Nye recorded five goals, three assists, 11 draw controls and eight caused turnovers to propel the Wildcats past the Spartans (11-3). Mulitalo tallied four goals and two assists, and Emma McKnight bagged a hat trick.
Ellie McKnight posted eight saves in goal, while Cooper, Nye, Emma McKnight and Nadia Gaydos collected three ground balls apiece.
RC 22, CHS 1
The Wildcats capped off the week with a 22-1 victory at Christiansburg on Thursday evening.
Sixteen different players scored for RC against the winless Blue Demons (0-11), led by two goals apiece from Ingram, Mulitalo, Nye, Sarah Edgar and Nadia Gaydos. Nye registered nine draw controls and three caused turnovers, while Emma McKnight had eight ground balls and five draws. Sofia Gaydos also notched three caused turnovers.
RC was slated to close out the regular season at Hidden Valley on Monday evening, and the Wildcats will enter the postseason as the No. 1 seed in the Region 4D tournament. Visit thenews-gazette. com for updates on the playoff schedule.
ABOVE, RC sophomore defender Sofia Gaydos runs with the ball while guarded by an Albemarle player during the Wildcats’ 17-1 home win. AT LEFT, Wildcat junior midfielder Anna Nye takes the ball near the goal while teammates (from left) Lexi Samante, Sofia Gaydos and Adrianna Grue (9) work to get open. Nye led RC with three goals, three assists and 10 draw controls. (Stephanie Mikels Blevins photos)
RC JUNIOR midfielder Emma McKnight gets close to the goal with the ball while an Albemarle player guards her. McKnight led the Wildcats with four goals and won three draw controls. (Stephanie Mikels Blevins photo)
