Tuesday, June 9 -- Western Albemarle defeated Rockbridge County High School 16-11 in the semifinals of the VHSL Class 4 state girls lacrosse tournament in Crozet.
Annie Alhusen had five goals and three assists to lead the Warriors (16-1) to their sixth consecutive state playoff victory over the Wildcats (17-2). Western, which has won the past three VHSL Class 4 championships, will take on either Hanover or Dominion in the title game in Leesburg on Saturday.
Emma McKnight led RC with five goals and one assist. Anna Nye posted three goals and two helpers for the 'Cats, while Lola Mulitalo finished with three goals and one assist.
Three other Warriors bagged hat tricks: Perry Hume and Skyler Luzar each tallied three goals and one assist, while Camille Love finished with three markers. Maizey McCarthy made seven saves in goal for Western.
Neither team led by more than a single goal in the first period, which ended with the score knotted up at 3-3. But the Warriors, who had notched the final marker of the opening frame, then scored the first three of the second quarter to take the lead for good at 6-3. Mulitalo's power-play goal at the 4:31 mark broke the Warriors' run and pulled RC to within 6-4 going into halftime, but McCarthy recorded three outstanding saves in the period to keep her team in front.
Western opened the second half with a 6-2 stretch, going ahead 12-6 on Eva Florin's 8-meter goal with 3:28 remaining in the third quarter. RC responded with a 4-0 spurt, getting two goals apiece from McKnight and Nye to pull within 12-10 with 11:22 left in the final stanza.
But the Warriors had the answer, reeling off four straight goals of their own to put the game out of reach at 16-10 with under five minutes to play. Mulitalo grabbed a goal at the 3:26 mark, but that was as close as the Wildcats would get.
RC will graduate two seniors: Mulitalo, who finishes as the program's all-time leader in goals and points, and defender Nadia Gaydos. Both players earned first team All-Region 4D accolades and will continue their careers at the collegiate level: Mulitalo with Kennesaw State and Gaydos at Christopher Newport.
But the Wildcats, who captured their sixth consecutive regional championship and advanced to the state semifinals for the sixth straight year, will return seven of their nine all-region selections. Nye, the two-time Region 4D player of the year, headlines a first team contingent that also includes Emma McKnight, Tadara Cooper and Laura Ingram. Meanwhile, Adrianna Grue, Ellie McKnight and Braelyn Polly all garnered second team all-region laurels this spring.
