’Cats Roll Salem, 22-2

RC Wins Sixth Straight Regional Lax Crown

The Rockbridge County High School girls lacrosse team left no doubt about its dominance of Region 4D, cruising past Salem 22-2 in the regional championship game at The Fields at Southern Virginia University in Buena Vista last Tuesday.

The Wildcats, who secured their sixth consecutive regional title – all without a single loss to a Region 4D foe – proceeded to rout Loudoun Valley 20-5 in the Virginia High School League Class 4 state quarterfinals on Friday. (See separate story.) RC (17-1) was slated to visit threetime defending state champion Western Albemarle (16-1-1) in the semifinals last night.

In last Tuesday’s game, three players combined for 21 of the Wildcats’ 22 goals. Lola Mulitalo notched eight goals and one assist, Emma McKnight totaled seven markers and one helper, and Anna Nye finished with six goals and five assists – surpassing 300 career points in the process.

The Spartans (12-5), who would go on to drop an 8-7 double-overtime heartbreaker at Region 4C champion Dominion in the state quarterfinals, had no match for the ’Cats’ three-headed monster of McKnight, Mulitalo and Nye.

“We have been working with the three of them and getting that community and that gel,” RC head coach Susan Nye said of the trio. “It was beautiful tonight: their patience on their shooting; the assist went right to the stick. The three of them, they’ve picked the perfect time to have everything come together.”

Anna Nye also paced the defensive effort with five caused turnovers. Laura Ingram posted a game-high six draw controls for the ’Cats, while Emma McKnight snared five. Ellie McKnight played the full game in goal and recorded four saves, and Adrianna Grue tallied the other RC goal and added a pair of assists.

Vivienne Eaton and Madison Southern scored for Salem. Rylee McNeill had five draw controls for the Spartans, while goalie Bailey Redford – a senior who has committed to play at Division I power the University of North Carolina – registered five saves and four caused turnovers.

RC led by a narrow 3-2 margin after Southern scored at the 7:17 mark of the first quarter. But the Wildcats quickly turned on the afterburners, stretching the margin out to 10-2 by the end of the period and assuming a 16-2 halftime advantage.

Salem held its own in the draw circle across the first two periods, with RC owning an uncharacteristically narrow 12-8 advantage on draws at the break. But in addition to their offensive success, the Wildcats were locked in on the defensive side, neutralizing the Spartans’ draw success by forcing 10 turnovers in the first half.

“Our focus was making sure we were sliding to, moving on the flight of the ball when we were on defense,” coach Nye said. “On offense, [the focus was on] patience and fakes – not telegraphing our passes – and I thought we did a really nice job of that, especially in the beginning of the game.”

For the contest, the ’Cats held a 29-8 advantage in shots, and a 7-1 draw margin after the intermission gave them an overall 19-9 edge. RC also converted on 6-of-7 chances from the 8-meter arc and forced a total of 17 Salem turnovers.

Now that they’re back in the final four of the state tournament, the Wildcats have loftier goals beyond just capturing the regional crown. But the team still took a moment to celebrate after capping off another undefeated run through Region 4D.

“The sixth one in a row is pretty sweet,” coach Nye said. “Every year, we’re fighting to get back to the state finals. This year, there’s something about this team and their community, and how much they support each other.”

Visit www.thenews-gazette.com for updates on Tuesday’s state semifinal matchup between RC and Western Albemarle.

‘Every year, we’re fighting to get back to the state finals. This year, there’s something about this team and their community, and how much they support each other.’ - Coach Susan Nye