No. 8 Liberty girls lacrosse keeps composure, rallies past South Carroll, 14-10: ‘Trust is kind of the key’
With South Carroll girls lacrosse up a goal on Liberty late in the third quarter, a simple Thursday night game quickly turned into an intense showdown, as fans from both sides got rowdy, instantly creating a playoff-like atmosphere.
Liberty coach Tom Brandel, however, remained stoic as he stood unfazed and watched his girls work.
Annika Wray hit the back of the net to put the Lions back ahead and they never looked back. Liberty kept the Cavaliers’ offense in check and pulled away for a 14-10 win.
“I wasn’t surprised at all we were down to South Carroll,” Brandel said. “We always expect a competitive game with them because they’re so well coached. I’m proud of the way our girls played and overcame some adversity to win the game.”
While some coaches spend their time on the sidelines frantically yelling out play after play or one defensive coverage after another, Brandel simply yelled, “call something” as he showed his faith in his team to get the job done.
“We kind of just let them roll with what they want to roll with in the moment,” Brandel said. “We go over everything in practice and even though we graduated a lot of firepower last year, we knew these girls could could handle it.”
Kourtney Goff, a key returner from last year’s state championship team, took charge when it mattered the most. Finishing with four goals and an assist, Goff was just one of many weapons the Lions used in the back-and forth contest.
With over half of the team’s goals coming off an assist, it was the cohesiveness of the Liberty attack that propelled the defending 1A state champs to victory. Six different Lions scored a goal.
“Trust is kind of the key to the game,” Goff said. “We have great feeders who trust the attack to catch it and finish in the back of the net and that’s what matters.”
Looking to win a fourth straight state title this season, the Lions may have seen a glimpse of their toughest competition. The Cavaliers played one of their best games of the season as a scoring column usually dominated by Leah Miller was more diverse as Charlotte Harrington, Cathryn Yankle and Addie Fowble also netted goals.
Despite the Cavaliers’ clear message as the pair seem destined for a rematch in the regional final in a couple of weeks, the Lions punched back, sending a message of their own.
After a Goff goal, Sophia Carpenetti found Wray for another. Mady Smith, the county’s assist leader, fed Jordyn Ott for the final nail in the coffin as the Lions continued to move the ball with unselfish passes all the way to the end. It all left Brandel impressed as he looks to lead his team down the final stretch run of the regular season.
“Since I’ve been at Liberty, this is the best team I’ve had in terms of getting assisted goals,” he said. “They’re unselfish kids. They want to play together and they just want to win.”
Liberty — 3 2 4 5 — 14
South Carroll — 3 2 1 4 — 10
Goals: L — Kourtney Goff 4, Sophia Carpenetti 4, Annika Wray 3, Abigail Solarczyk 1, Maddie Smith 1, Jordon Ott 1 ; SC — Charlotte Harrington 4, Leah Miller 3, Cathryn Yankle 1, Cailin Yankle 1, Addie Fowble 1. Assists: L — Maddie Smith 5, Annika Wray 2, Kourtney Goff 1 ; SC — Ava Krantz 1, Charlotte Harrington 1