GIRLS LACROSSE: Western takes region title

Western Albemarle’s girls lacrosse team faced its toughest test thus far in the postseason against Broad Run — and passed with flying colors.
The Warriors, fueled by a six-goal performance from Abby Wheeler and a stifling defense, pulled away in the second half to secure a 12-6 win over the Spartans and the Region II championship.
The win was especially sweet for Western, which lost to Broad Run in the same game a year ago.
“Last year we lost to them, so it’s really an awesome win for us,” said senior Mary Schwartz, who filled up the stat sheet with two goals, a pair of assists, and six caused turnovers. “We played them earlier this season, and it was a really good game. We won by a good amount, but we were really uncomfortable. So we knew they were going to come out really hard and we were ready for them.”
The Spartans did just that, as they took an early 3-2 lead. The visitors got goals from Aubrey Neuhart, Meredith Rogers and Nina Dunay to take the advantage, while Wheeler got the Warriors on the board right away, scoring twice within the first seven minutes of the game.
Wheeler, a sophomore, added another to tie it a few minutes later, and then Schwartz tacked on another to give the Warriors the lead. The speedy Wheeler used some nifty footwork to get around a defender, and tallied her fourth goal with 5:38 to play in the half.
But the Spartans would not go away, as Samantha Lewis raced down the field untouched for a wide-open goal to cut the lead to one before halftime.
After the break, Schwartz took a pass from Jordan Haws for her second goal, but Broad Run answered on a Neuhart goal. The teams traded goals before Wheeler went to work again, this time finishing off a Bridgett Lynn attempt.
“Abby came out so strong,” said Western coach Nancy Haws. “She set us up for a great start and then when she realized she was getting face-guarded, she knew how to step in and take care of that defender so the rest of the girls could step in and do their jobs.”
Western’s defense clamped down the rest of the way, as Colleen Cozart (eight saves) made a stop and Effie Nicholau and Tori Woolheater kept the Spartan attack at bay. The Warriors’ midfielders also helped to shut down Broad Run.
Ally Swanson slapped in another goal with 14:08 as Western put the game away, and the rest was just icing on the cake before the celebration at midfield ensued.
Western Albemarle (15-2) will host a first-round state tournament game on May 31 against an opponent to be determined.