Western rolls past Covenant

Western Albemarle’s girls lacrosse players have a saying on the back of their 2009 team shirts that reads “All or nothing.”

On Tuesday, the Warriors adopted that philosophy with an impressive offensive output and strong defensive showing in a 14-5 victory over visiting Covenant.

“Our defense did a fantastic job of shutting them out,” said Western coach Nancy Haws. “Also, our transitions were key. I really felt that when we got the clear in the transition that it made a big difference in flow of the game.”

Western senior attacker Bridgett Lynn led her team with seven goals on just 10 shots.

“We talked before the game with Bridgett about her being a leader for the team today, and she was very set for that role, and she did a fantastic job,” Haws said.

Covenant goalkeeper Kelsey Rund, an eighth-grader, played well beyond her years, stopping 13 Warriors shots, 10 in the first half. With Lynn, Jeanette Fellows and Jordan Haws getting decent looks all day, Rund stepped up to the challenge.

“For her to come out here and play as hard as she did shows heart,” Covenant coach Kim Dean said. “For an eighth-grader to go up against a big public school shows that she’s really not scared of anything.”

Fellows chased down a loose ball and made a nice move to score and give Western a 3-1 lead. After Sargeant scored the second of her team-high three goals to cut the lead to 4-2, Lynn added two more goals to give the Warriors a 6-2 lead at the break.

In the second half, Lynn picked up right where she left off, and wasted no time. The George Washington-bound senior scored on the first possession of the half, just 30 seconds in, and followed that up with another tally soon after.

The Warriors (7-3) scored three more goals over the next two minutes and added another unanswered pair to push the lead to 13-2.

Fellows and Haws each finished the game with a hat trick, and Haws also dished out two assists. Caitlin Boles had 10 saves for the Warriors.

Covenant (7-3) did not throw in the towel, scoring three straight goals, but it would not be enough. Dean was proud of her team’s heart.

“In that second half, we came back stronger than I ever expected, and the girls showed a ton of heart,” Dean said of her squad, which defeated Virginia Episcopal in a nail-biter the day before. “That’s one thing that’s been consistent with these girls is that they have heart for the game and pride for their school.”

The Eagles will host Douglas Freeman on Friday, and then take on Virginia Episcopal in the opening round of the LIS tournament on Monday. Covenant will be the host school, and Dean knows that bodes well for her troops.

“I told my girls that what they showed me in the second half was a sign that we’re going to win the LIS, with what kind of heart they just showed me,” said Dean.

Western has two district games remaining, as the Warriors travel to Rockbridge County on Friday before hosting Brentsville next week. The Warriors close the regular season the following day with a rematch at crosstown rival Albemarle.

“We’ve just got to be ready, we have to bring our ‘A’ game,” admitted Haws. “I feel like if we can play our game which we definitely did tonight, it’s going to be hard for us to be beaten, but we have to play our game.”