The varsity girls’ lacrosse team defeated the Georgetown Eagles on Wednesday, March 28 at the Warrior Bowl. This game was the team’s Student Night, and the stands were packed with prospective lacrosse players from Westwood feeder schools. The girls were able to partake in a clinic before the game to introduce them to the sport, and had the opportunity to take shots on goal during halftime.

“It was really exciting to see all these super talented girls interested in joining the team,” Riya Shah ‘20 said. “We had a friendly competition using basic skills such as picking up ground balls and passing the ball. We also gave them tips to refine their skills.”

The first half began with the Warriors immediately gaining possession of the ball off the draw, but they could not keep it in their possession and the Eagles were able score a goal soon after. The Warriors retaliated quickly, with Sam Newlin ‘22 and Stephanie Shih ‘20 raising the score to 3-1 with their carefully placed shots. A penalty by the Jill Krekel ‘19 granted the Eagles possession of the ball in the draw circle, but a save by Catherine Wiesehuegel ‘19 gave the Warriors control of the ball once again. More shots by Sarah Poppe ‘22 and Newlin added to the Warriors’ score, ending the half 5-2.

“We had a lot of good goals and we were doing well at moving the goalie instead of just shooting straight at her,” Sarah Ramsey ‘20 said. “We are also getting better at getting the ball down the field by just passing to players so that we can get it around the defense quickly.”

The Warriors started off strong in the second half, scoring three goals in the first four minutes with no response from the Eagles. However, Georgetown found their groove soon after, winning several draws in a row and pushing the score to 8-4. Solid defense from April Gao ‘20 and Emma Monreal ‘20 helped slow down the Eagles, leading to another goal from Poppe.

“I was nervous at first because we had a whole week off [for spring break], but we did manage to play pretty well as a unit,” Gao said. “I think defense played better one-on-one defense because we were more confident in our footwork.”

Georgetown continued to bring the heat and made continuous shots on goal, but stellar saves by Wiesehuegel kept the Warriors in the lead. An assist by Krekel allowed Shih to score yet again, furthering the team’s lead to 10-6. Ava Hsu ‘19 had some critical catches that helped transition the ball up the field, and aggressive defense from Grace Healy ‘19 caused several turnovers for the Warriors as well. Both teams managed to score one more goal in the final minutes, ending the game 11-7.

“[The win] was exciting because we’ve had some pretty hard losses the last few games,” Gao said. “We were more driven this game, and we just had to push and play at our max ability.”

The Lady Warriors will take on the Austin High School Maroons on Wednesday, April 3 at the Warrior Bowl.