The Rockbridge County High School girls lacrosse team continued its dominant run through Region 4D, capping off the regular season with a 21-1 victory over Hidden Valley in Roanoke on Monday of last week.
The Wildcats (14-1) enter the regional tournament on an 11-game winning streak. RC claimed the No. 1 seed in the Region 4D bracket and will play host to E.C. Glass at The Fields at Southern Virginia University in Buena Vista at 5:30 p.m. tonight.
Last Monday, 15 different Wildcats scored in a routine win over the Titans (68). Lola Mulitalo posted a hat trick for RC, while Adrianna Grue, Sofia Gaydos, Anna Nye, Emma McKnight and Laura Ingram scored two goals apiece.
Nye also led the team with four assists and nine draw controls. RC amassed an overall 21-3 advantage on the draw circle, where Ingram and McKnight contributed to the effort with four draws apiece.
The Wildcats also saw 13 different players record at least one ground ball, getting three from Nye and two apiece from Grue, Sofia Gaydos and Nadia Gaydos.
With a string of lopsided wins under their belts – RC’s closest game in regional play was a 16-7 home result over Blacksburg on April 27 – the ’Cats have focused on their own improvement over the course of the season.
“The play of the Wildcats has steadily been getting more focused on ball control and securing possessions. We are seeing value in being patient and using our communication skills,” RC head coach Susan Nye said. “We have also become more efficient in the smoothness and timing of the offensive plays. The defense has started to gel as a unit with their communication and off-ball defense.”
Still, as the Wildcats seek a sixth consecutive appearance in the VHSL Class 4 state tournament – and potentially a third straight trip to the title game – they know that the competition will only get tougher with each round. That means RC can’t rest on its laurels.
“Both on offense and defense, we have been working on finding the simpler pass for possession,” coach Nye said. “Another key for defense [is that] we will need to move on the flight and take angles on off-ball cutters to force a bad or low-angle shot.
“Offense will need to find the best shot – not always the first shot – and move the ball quickly to get the opposing defense moving,” she added.
If the Wildcats get past Glass tonight, they will play host to either Blacksburg or Salem in the Region 4D championship game, which is tentatively slated for Tuesday, June 2.
