Loudoun Lax Takes on Northern Region Best in State Semifinals

By Dan Sousa
LoudounPrepSports.com Senior Content Editor

(June 2, 2009) – It is a Loudoun vs. Northern Region showdown in three of the four VHSL state lacrosse semifinals with the girls in a doubleheader tonight and the boys taking center stage on Wednesday.

All the games will be at Westfield High School with Dulles District and Region II girls champion Broad Run (15-4) facing Northern Region champion Robinson (16-3) tonight at 6 p.m. followed by a showdown at 7:30 p.m. that pits the top two teams in the state according to LaxPower.com, undefeated No. 1 Loudoun Valley (19-0) against No. 2 Chantilly (19-2).

On Wednesday the Broad Run boys, like the Spartan the girls the Dulles District and Region II champions, face the tournament’s top-ranked team, Northern Region champion Langley (19-1) at 5 p.m. followed by a All-Northern Region semifinal pitting Robinson (12-6) vs. Chantilly (15-2) at 7:30 p.m.

The finals are set for Saturday at Westfield with the girls at 6 p.m. followed by the boys at 8 p.m. VHSL admission for state events is $8.

Scouting Reports
Langley Boys 14-4 quarterfinal win over Brook Point
Langley Boys dramatic 6-5 2OT win over Robinson in the Northern Region Final
Langley Boys 6-4 win over Chantilly in regional semifinals
Langley Boys 10-5 win over Lake Braddock in regional quarterfinals

Robinson Girls 10-9 win over Chantilly in Northern Region Final
Robinson Girls 9-8 win over Chantilly in Concorde District Finals

Quarterfinal Recaps

Loudoun Valley Girls 12, Woodson 2

Viking junior Sophie Swan scored four goals to lead the undefeated Loudoun Valley High School girls lacrosse team past the Cavs, holding high-scoring Woodson to just two scores. Woodson came into the match having scored in double digits in all but games and scoring 16 or more goals in 11 matches.l

The balanced Viking attack also featured two goals each from juniors Shannon Harkey and Morgan Becker as well as a goal each from sophomore Andrea Mustacchio, senior Courtney Oglevee, freshman Ellen Fuller and sophomore Sarah Furr.

Woodson was held to goals by seniors Carrie Pritchard and Rebecca Geist.

Bonus Coverage: Read Carl “Lax” Lukat’s account in the Loudoun Times-Mirror!

Broad Run Girls 16, Battlefield 12

The Broad Run High School girls lacrosse team got a scouting report that Battlefield was a physical team after the Bobcats almost knocked off Loudoun Valley in the Northwest Region finals and the Spartans “Skinny” was right on the mark as Battlefield lived up to its name and pushed BR to the limit before falling 16-12 in a state quarterfinal Saturday.

The Spartans no doubt were sporting a few bumps and bruises as souveniers from this victory in a match with several yellow cards handed out. The Bobcats rolled into Ashburn and jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first half, prompting Spartan coach Jen Melhuish to call a quick timeout to settle down her team.

Senior Meredith Rogers showed why she is the school’s all-time leading scorer with six goals and three assists and Dulles District Player of the Year Kate Sistare scored five goals.

After the timeout, BR responded with five straight goals to take the lead with Rogers and Sistare scoring, both off passes from senior Mary Mitesser and then Rogers again, this time on a point blank range shot. Senior Sam Lewis then scored on a break away off a great pass from junior Nina Dunay.

Broad Run was keeping a close eye on BF’s Jessica Jacobson but he Bobcats showed their offensive depth with Morgan Clark (2 goals), Kimberly Esteban, Allie Rash, and Lesley Chambers all scoring in the first half.

With the match tied at 5-5, Kailey Phillips (2 goals, 3 assists) scored from a Rogers feed and Sistare added a goal from a Taylor Forman assist.

It appeared BR would take that 2-goal advantage into halftime but the Bobcats struck with 28 seconds left on the first off four goals from Jacobson and then 10 seconds later Sara Jacobson connected and it was all knotted up at 7-7.

Much like BF in the first half, the Spartans charged out of the gate in the second half with four straight goals including two from Rogers, one from Sistare and Dunay. Three of those scores came in the first 55 seconds of the second half.

BF climbed back to within two goals at 11-9 with a pair of restart goals from Jessica Jacobson and Esteban.

The Spartans were nearing nine minutes without a goal when Sistare, off a pass from Phillips, whipped a shot in to make it 12-9 with 13:12 to play.

Battlefield continued to cut the lead back to two goals at 12-10, 13-11 and 14-12 with BR getting key goals to stay ahead including one Rogers goal that came as she fought through a stick to the face.

Jessica Jacobson showed down the stretch why she was so closely marked and her goal at 4:06 made it 14-12 BR but the Spartans defense led by goalie Allison Bogle and senior Emily Patterson held BF off the scoreboard in the final four minutes and the Spartans got breathing room on a pair of Sistare goals at 2:51 and then with 21 seconds left for the final margin.

Broad Run 16, Battlefield 12
BF 7 5 – 12

BR 7 9 – 16

1st Half Scoring
22:46 – BF – Clark
21:02 – BF – K. Esteban
18:20 – BF – Clark

14:30 – BR – Dunay (Mitesser)
11:59 – BR – Rogers (Mitesser)
10:34 – BR – Sistare (Patterson)
9:56 – BR – Rogers
8:26 – BR – Lewis (Dunay)
7:42 – BF Rash
5;34 – BF – Chambers
3:34 – BR – Phillips (Rogers)
2:05 – BR – Mitesser (Rogers)
0:28 – BF – J. Jacobson
0:18 – BF – S. Jacobson

Second Half Scoring
24:45 – BR – Rogers
24:11 – BR – Sistare
24:05 – BR – Dunay
22:38 – BR – Rogers (Phillips)

21:24 – BF – J. Jacobson
17:48 – BF – K. Esteban

13:12 – BR – Sistare (Phillips)
10:34 – BF – Chambers
7:46 – BR – Rogers
5:46 – BF – J. Jacobson
5:28 – BR – Rogers

4:06 – BF – J. Jacobson

2:51 – BR – Sistare (Phillips)
0:21 – BR – Sistare (Rogers)

Broad Run Boys 12, Loudoun Valley 10

There were times Saturday when Broad Run dominatned the state quarterfinal with Loudoun Valley and then times when the Vikes dominated the Spartans.

In the end, it was a 35-second span in the second half, when Valley was mounting a furious comeback, during which Broad Run’s senior Tim Sanders (4 goals) and sophomore Ryan Madigan (4 goals, 3 assists) were able to flick in a pair of goals that proved to be the difference.

In the start it was all Broad Run as the Spartans scored the first nine goals in the contest, shocking the visiting Valley fans. Valley finally broke the dry spell against BR keeper senior Kenny McAdow — who was saving everything LV threw at him to start the contest — with 4:55 left in the second quarter and then added one more goal to trail 9-2 at the half.

It was Valley’s turn to quiet the home crowd which seemed stunned as the Vikes — after a lackluster third quarter that saw one goal total between both teams — catch fire and rip the nets for seven fourth quarter goals including a shot by junior Chris Daddio (3 goals, 2 assists) with 1:52 left in the contest to make it 11-10.

Sanders and Madigan had the answer once again, this time with Madigan providing the assist to Sanders for a goal with 1:15 left to provide the cushion and final margin as BR’s defense did the rest.

In the first half, it looked like it would be a low-scoring affair with neither team scoring the six minutes and then the Spartans broke free for five goals to end the quarter, two from senior Kyle Ward and one each from Madigan, junior Nick Khouri and Sanders. Junior Andrew Londos was key during this stretch, handing out three assists.

Two quick BR goals in a 30-second span at the start of the second quarter made it 7-0 BR with Madigan benefiting from Londos’s fourth assist of the half and Ward scoring from Madigan. It got worse for Valley when they basically scored an own goal under pressure from Madigan with 7:34 to go in the half and Sanders, figting through a triple team, made it 9-0 with 6:46 to go in the half.

LV freshman Denis Radcliffe came through big with an unassisted goal with 4:55 left to finally break the ice for Valley. Junior Chris Rabung (4 goals, 1 assist) then scored with 1:55 to go from a Daddio pass.

The third quarter was a big sluggish and only Daddio’s unassisted goal made the scoreboard with BR taking a big 9-3 lead into the final quarter.

Valley heated up with sophomore Brandon Bunce scoring back-to-back goals from Daddio and Rabung at 8:39 and 8:24. It was then that Sanders and Madigan came through with huge goals to make it 11-5 BR.

The Vikes came right back with Daddio scoring, Rabung twice and then Daddio again to make it a 1-goal game. BR would not allow the equalizer as Sanders came in for the score with 1:15 to go for the final margin.

Broad Run 12, Loudoun Valley 10

LV 0 2 1 7 – 10
BR 5 4 0 3 – 12

First Quarter
6:38 – BR – Ward (Londos)
5:53 – BR – Madigan (Londos)
3:46 – BR – Khouri (Londos)
2:43 – BR – Sanders
1:04 – BR – Ward (Madigan)
Second Quarter
10:45 – BR – Madigan (Londos)
10:15 – BR – Ward (Madigan)
7:34 – BR – Madigan
6:46 – BR – Sanders
4:55 – LV – Radcliffe
1:55 – LV – Rabung (Daddio)
Third Quarter
3:08 – LV – Daddio
Fourth Quarter
8:39 – LV – Bunce (Daddio)
8:24 – LV – Bunce (Rabung)
6:33 – BR – Sanders
5:58 – BR – Madigan
5:41 – LV – Rabung
4:49 – LV – Daddio
3:35 – LV – Rabung
2:23 – LV – Rabung
1:52 – LV – Daddio (Radcliffe)
1:15 – BR – Sanders (Madigan)

VHSL Brackets

BOYS’ LACROSSE
Quarterfinals — March 30 at higher seed
Game BLAX1: N1 Langley 14, NW3 Brooke Point 4
Game BLAX2: II-1 Broad Run 12, NW2 Loudoun Valley 10
Game BLAX3: N3 Chantilly 10, NW1 Albemarle 9
Game BLAX4: N2 Robinson 12, II-2 Salem 3

Semifinals — June 3 at Westfield
Game BLAX5: N1 Langley vs II-1 Broad Run, 5 p.m.
Game BLAX6: N3 Chantilly vs N2 Robinson, 7:30 p.m.

Championship — June 6 at Westfield
Game BLAX7: Game BLAX5 Winner vs Game BLAX6 Winner, 8 p.m.

GIRLS’ LACROSSE
Quarterfinals — March 30 at higher seed
Game GLAX1: N1 Robinson 15, NW3 Albemarle 5
Game GLAX2: II-1 Broad Run 16, NW2 Battlefield 12
Game GLAX3: NW1 Loudoun Valley 12, N3 W.T. Woodson 2
Game GLAX4: N2 Chantilly 20, II-2 Western Albemarle 5

Semifinals — June 2 at Westfield
Game GLAX5: N1 Robinson vs II-1 Broad Run, 6 p.m.
Game GLAX6: NW1 Loudoun Valley vs N2 Chantilly, 7:30 p.m.

Championship — June 6 at Westfield
Game GLAX7: Game GLAX5 Winner vs Game GLAX6 Winner, 6 p.m.