After losing two games in a row last week to some of the division’s best, the ConVal girls’ lacrosse team was bent but not broken heading into Friday’s contest with Oyster River.
“When we play the harder teams, it really makes us step up and puts the competition in us, the fire comes out, and it’s really good for us,” said ConVal senior defender Hannah Johnson.
The Cougars had difficulty containing Oyster River’s star attack Allison Marshall, who scored the first two goals of the game in the opening minute and would put in the Bobcats’ first six.
“No. 11 was very good,” ConVal head coach Derek Sorbello said. “We tried but there’s not much we can do about her.”
Johnson and the Cougar defense eventually caught on to the Bobcats’ approach, which was to place Maddy Alphonse up top and have two attackers feint runs through the offensive zone from behind the net until Marshall would come around the flank and take the pass.
“We did a better job on her later in the game, which was good,” Johnson said. “We really communicated well and we were there for each other if somebody needed a slide or help, we were there for the most part. We had a few slip-bys which was frustrating, but for the most part we were good.”
Marshall finished with a game-high 11 goals.
Meanwhile, the Cougars’ offense was clicking as well. Brooke Ellis scored the first four for ConVal; Madelynn Plourde scored another two straight and Molly Dishong plinked home one of her own, and ConVal was down just 8-7 at the half.
“Everyone contributed,” Sorbello said. “That’s important for this team.”
In the second half, ConVal fell victim to the restriction Mother Nature’s placed on them all spring. With just three outdoor practices under their belts, the Cougars’ full-runs began to get the best of them, and the fatigue grew apparent as the game went on.
“We ran out of gas,” Sorbello said. “It’s hard to do any full-field conditioning in a basketball gym. “The fact that these guys have played as well as they have with our practice situation is remarkable.”
ConVal got two more goals from Plourde, one from Sienna Sorbello, and one from Rosie Crooker, who stole the ball at midfield, split three defenders and fired it home. But Marshall’s relentless attack continued and the Bobcats pulled away for a 15-11 victory, another valiant ConVal effort in what was their third straight loss.
“For the most part, we’ve competed and have kept some teams playing to the end, at least, and that’s the one thing I’ll say about this team – they don’t stop,” Sorbello said. “They keep playing, they keep at it, and they don’t give up. You need that kind of mentality for these guys to keep pushing through.”
Crooker led the team in ground balls (five) and turnovers caused (three); Dishong had four ground balls and Ellis and Marina McMahon had three each.
Lily Dell made six saves in the first half and Sarah Holdredge had 11 in the second.
ConVal (3-7) has to play the remainder of their season compressed into this week, on the road at Kingswood (7-4) Monday, at John Stark (6-5) Tuesday, and then at home against Coe-Brown (4-6) Wednesday and the final game of the season Thursday at 6:30 p.m. against Alvirne (1-11).
The Cougars are on the outside of the playoffs looking in, 13th place in Division II, which will have eight teams in the postseason this spring. Perhaps it was to be expected after moving up a division, but the Cougars aren’t satisfied.
“We’ve risen to the challenge,” Sorbello said. “I was hopeful we’d be where we’re at, but I was hoping for a little bit more. I just want to win. Winning is fun. I was hoping this season that we’d get some wins, we’ve gotten a few and I want a few more.”