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Angela Watts of DigitalSports.com talks with Chantilly senior midfielder Katie Stillwell after her eight-goal performance led the Chargers to the Virginia AA/AAA state championship game. Chantilly will play Robinson for the title at 6 p.m. Saturday at Westfield High.
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By Angela Watts
Assistant GM, Washington D.C. Metro Area

** Click HERE for photos from only the Broad Run-Robinson game.
** Click HERE for video highlights from only the Broad-Run Robinson game.

** Click HERE for photos from only the Chantilly-Loudoun Valley game.
** Click HERE for video highlights from only the Chantilly-Loudoun Valley game.

There will be a new Virginia High School League girls' lacrosse champion in 2009.

But it will come from a very familiar place.

Concorde District rivals Robinson and Chantilly will meet in the state championship game at 6 p.m. Saturday at Westfield after both disposed of their Loudoun County counterparts in Tuesday's semifinal round.

The state's only previous winner since the lacrosse championships were established in 2006 was fellow Concorde District foe Oakton. In fact, only teams from the Northern Region have ever advanced to the title game.

That fact held true Tuesday night in the semifinal round at Westfield as Robinson proved the first to move on with an impressive, 18-5 victory over Broad Run. Chantilly followed with a solid, 14-9 victory over Loudoun Valley in the second half of the doubleheader.

That sets up a fourth meeting this season for this Northern Region pair. Chantilly handily defeated Robinson, 12-5, during the regular-season, but the Rams rallied from big second-half deficits to win both the Concorde District (9-8) and Northern Region (10-9) titles.

"They are obviously our biggest rival and everything, but when it comes down to it it doesn't matter who we play," said Chantilly senior midfielder Brittany Griel. "It's not about beating them, it's about winning states. We want that so badly. And if it happens? Nothing else the past two year would matter.

"We've spent so much time working hard ... I can't really even put it into words. Winning states would literally mean the world to us."

Robinson's fate in the championship game was really never in question Tuesday night as the Rams jumped to an early, 4-1 lead, in the game's opening five minutes of play and never looked back.

Robinson got multiple goals from senior attacker Megan Dunleavy (5), junior attacker Rachel Moody (4), senior midfielder Sarah Moody (3) and freshman attacker Katie McHugh (2) and a lock-down performance from junior goalie Kelsey Zinck and the rest of the Rams' defense to keep the Spartans at bay.

Broad Run, which was led by two goals from senior midfielder Kate Sistare, was held scoreless for a span of 27 minutes, 29 seconds that stretched from the 9:53 mark of the first half to the 7:24 mark of the second.

"It feels really good," Robinson Coach Alison Neun said. "We focused on our defense a lot yesterday, really trying to work on closing down because they have some top attackers who will take the ball to goal from the 50. So we really tried to work on slowing the ball, getting in hard, collapsing on them and just protecting our goalie.

"And our goalie, Kelsey Zinck, played amazing. She was just on fire. There was one point where she had three point-blank saves in a row. And I tell you what that does, that gives your defense confidence."

Chantilly -- and senior midfielder Katie Stillwell -- went more on the offensive in its win over Loudoun Valley. With the Vikings' defense focusing much of its attention on Griel, the Chargers' leading scorer with 68 goals this season, Stillwell was left free to roam. And Stillwell made the most of the opening, almost single-handily outscoring Loudoun Valley with a whopping eight goals to bring her season total to 60.

"They were spending a lot of time fronting Brittany Griel and they just kind of let one go," Chantilly Coach Michele Gates said. "Or ... eight."

The Chargers also got multiple goals from senior attacker Jessica Dennis (2) and junior midfielder Liz Dunwoody (2).

"Katie, she's who I look to," Griel said. "She's that player. And I'm definitely more of a passer. So when they face-guarded me that kind of worked into what we wanted to do. We have a lot of threats on offense, and you can't face-guard everybody. If you face-guard me you get Katie ... and you can't stop her. It's really kind of pick your poison." 

The Vikings, who were paced by junior midfielders Shannon Harkey (4), Sophie Swan (2) and Michelle Zakrzewski 2, made a late surge to score four of the game's final five goals, but it proved too little, too late.

And that turned the focus promptly back to the Concorde District rivals who will meet in Saturday's finale at 6 p.m. at Westfield.

"For us, we keep saying, 'One more, one more, one more!'" Neun said. "Now it's our last chance to say 'One more!' ... and we really need to think about taking that next step."

Email: awatts@digitalsports.com

VHSL Girls' Lacrosse Championship History

2006 -- Oakton 9, Robinson 5
2007 -- Oakton 12, W.T. Woodson 10
2008 -- Oakton 20, Chantilly 11
2009 -- Robinson vs. Chantilly, 6 p.m. Saturday at Westfield High School

GAME 1
Broad Run     4    1  --    5
Robinson      10   8  --  18

Goals: Broad Run -- Kate Sistare 2, Nina Dunay, Taylor Forman, Sam Lewis; Robinson -- Megan Dunleavy 5, Rachel Moody 4, Sarah Moody 3, Katie McHugh 2, Tory Barron, Alexandra Clark, Courtney Coleman, Abigail Eastman.

GAME 2
Chantilly                7    7  --  14
Loudoun Valley      4   5  --     9

Goals: Chantilly -- Katie Stillwell 8, Jessica Dennis 2, Liz Dunwoody 2, Brittany Griel, Kacey Norwood; Loudoun Valley -- Shannon Harkey 4, Sophie Swan 2, Michelle Zakrzewski 2, Andrea Mustacchio.