|  | | Yorktown senior midfielder Molly McCartin readies for a shot in the Patriots 10-9 victory over Stone Bridge. | Yorktown
girls�?? lacrosse Coach Robin Steinberg was all smiles after the Patriots
pulled off a come-from-behind, 10-9, victory over visiting Stone Bridge Tuesday night in the opening round of the AAA Northern Region tournament. But Yorktown�??s young leader also teased that she was dreading the victory�??s aftereffects.
�??They
don�??t get too frantic, but it�??s not good for me,�?� Steinberg said. �??I�??m
young, and I�??ve got grey hair! I�??m sure I�??ll have more from tonight �?�
and that�??s not okay!�?�
The
Patriots (16-2) have made a habit all season of coming from behind, and
this game was no exception. Bulldog standout senior midfielder Melissa
Giusti scored three of her game-high five goals in the game�??s opening
14 minutes to give Stone Bridge (9-5) an early, 3-0 lead.
Yorktown,
the second seed out of the National District, answered with four
consecutive goals of its own�??three of which came at the hands of senior
attack Melissa Bennett, including two in the final minute of the
opening half. But it was Stone Bridge,
the third seed out of the Liberty District, who came out hot after the
break. The Bulldogs scored three consecutive goals to start the second
half to regain the lead, 6-4.
�??I
think we�??ve come back from three or four goals enough that the girls
always keep their composure,�?� Steinberg said. �??And I guess they�??ve done
it so many times that they know they�??re capable of it.�?�
Sure enough, the Patriots tied the game 6 on a shot by sophomore attack Maggie Dean, one of six Yorktown
players to find the back of the net. From there, the frantic pace only
intensified. The two teams traded shots, bursts of speed, key defensive
stops and, most importantly, goals, the rest of the way.
| | Yorktown
senior captain Melissa Bennett listens intently during half time after
having scored three quick goals to give the Patriots a 4-3 lead at the
break. |
Stone Bridge led at 7-6, 8-7 and 9-8, but each time Yorktown responded.
�??I
guess it�??s more exciting for the fans that way,�?� Patriots�?? senior
midfielder Sophia Webster said, laughing. �??They really got into it and
cheered us on. There was so much adrenaline running through us in those
last few minutes, I just knew we were going to connect.�?�
It was Webster who did so, taking advantage of Stone Bridge�??s
decision to break away from its zone defense in order to double-team
Bennett. As a result, Webster found herself wide-open on the left side
of the goal and converted with 2 minutes, 33 seconds remaining to knot
the score at 9.
�??I�??m
okay if someone marks up on any of my players because I feel like every
single person on my team can score and handle pressure,�?� Steinberg
said. �??So if you take one out that�??s fine. I�??ve got six others down
there who can handle it.�?�
Less
than a minute after her first goal Webster again circled in front of
the net again as the fans pleaded with her to, �??shoot it!�?� The savvy
senior happily obliged, converting the game-winning shot with 1:45 to
play to send the home fans�??and her teammates--into a frenzy.
There was a markedly different reaction on the Stone Bridge side, as tears filled the eyes of the girls who nearly pulled off the upset.
�??We
played really hard and I�??m very proud of that, but it just hurts that
this is the end of the season,�?� said an emotional Kate Abernethy, an
assistant coach who filled in for head coach Dana Drever, who was in
the hospital giving birth. �??I don�??t think Yorktown was expecting it to be this close, but we were. It�??s tough to end the season like this.�?�
Yorktown,
which last season finished just one win shy of reaching the state
tournament, will play the winner of Tuesday�??s opening round game
between Concorde District No. 1 seed Oakton and Patriot District No. 4
seed South County on Thursday. Last season it was Oakton, the defending Group AAA champions, who knocked Yorktown out of the playoffs.
�??We were so close last year,�?� Bennett said. �??We have 12 seniors on this team, and we want it more than ever.�?�
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