LACROSSE PLAYOFFS: ROBINSON GIRLS AND CHANTILLY BOYS WIN CONCORDE TITLES

By Jimmy Thomas
Content Editor, DigitalSports.com

Check below the story for highlights from both games in separate video players. Highlights from the boys game will be just below highlights from the girls game. Enjoy

The Concorde District girls' and boys' lacrosse championship games were moved from Robinson High to Fairfax High Friday night because the Rebels' turf field was one of the few in the area that could sustain Thursday night's downpour. Chantilly, the top seed in both games, entered the title matches with a combined record of 25-0 record on the year.

Chantilly's girls were up first in a match-up with No. 2 seed Robinson, which they defeated earlier this season in overtime. Friday's game featured six ties and was tied at 13 with less than a second left in regulation. Yes, a second.

That's before Robinson junior Megan Dunleavy fired a shot that sneaked low past Chantilly's goal keeper for her sixth goal, enough to give the Rams a 14-13 win at the buzzer and the Concorde District tournament championship .

"They are such a fast team -- such a powerful team -- we needed to make sure we had possession at the end," Rams' Coach Allison Nuen said.

Robinson, which defeated Westfield, 15-5, to reach the finale,  got a hat-trick from junior Sarah Moody and two goals from sophomore sister Rachel Moody in the victory.

Chantilly, despite getting four goals from junior Brittany Griel and three each from senior Christina Patten and junior Kaitlyn Stillwell, were unable to take the lead at any time other than the games' opening moments. Trailing 10-7 at half time, the Chargers tied the game at 11 and 13 but could not net the go-ahead score.

Robinson "pulled the game out in the last couple of seconds and we weren't able to do that on our end," Chantilly Coach Michele Gates said. "Robinson has excellent competitors. They always come out to win. This game was decided by one point, the last game was two points. We are always neck-and-neck. They just got this one in the win column."

Chantilly's boys team, which watched the final moments of the girls' game sitting in the stands in full-gear, were determined not to fall to a similar fate. And they most certainly did not. The Chargers combined an early lead with great goal-tending to pull out a 9-7 victory over Oakton and keep their undefeated season in tact.

In the process, Chantilly claimed its first Concorde District tournament championship in school history.

Chantilly got a first quarter hat-trick from senior Kevin O'Neill to take an early,  5-0 lead. That five-goal deficit proved to be enough as the Chargers took a 5-1 lead into half time and stretched that margin to 9-3 lead after three quarters. O'Neill netted another goal in the third to give him four for the game, while senior Corey Aferiat scored two of his own.

"The guys were very focused, very loose and they came to play tonight," Chantilly Coach Kevin Broderick said. "We have 16 seniors and they didn't need a pep talk. It's a team game, they buy into it and they lead by example They are coaches on the sideline. They are coaches on the field. They do a nice job."

Oakton made a late run, scoring four fourth-quarter goals to pull with in two, but it proved too little too late. Senior Rob Koster scored twice for the Cougars and James McClellan and Nick Stevens both scored in the games' final minute.

All four teams will play at home on Thursday in the opening of the Northern Region tournament.
 
GIRLS     
                  1st     2nd   --F
Chantilly      7        6     --13
Robinson    10       4     --14


BOYS
                 1st   2nd   3rd   4th -- F
Chantilly     5     0       4       0  -- 9
Oakton       0     1       2       4  -- 7