‘Made our way to the top’: Lexington Catholic girls’ lacrosse wins CLL championship
With 1:33 remaining in what was an extremely physical and competitive Commonwealth Lacrosse League girls’ championship match on Saturday afternoon between Lexington Catholic and Sayre, the Knights took a 10-8 lead with a goal from senior Cate Harris.
LexCath would eventually emerge victorious, winning 11-10 at the conclusion of two sudden-death overtime periods, but it wouldn’t be an easy feat.
It seemed as though — with her late-game goal — Harris might have sealed the deal, delivering the Knights to an upset against the defending CLL champ Spartans. That is, until Sayre’s Sophia Richardson and Avery Luring evened the score at 10 apiece with 24.4 seconds and 8.0 seconds remaining, respectively.
What was already a tremendously loud environment became raucous. Sayre fans went from holding their breath to jumping out of their bleacher seats in less than a minute.
As the clock ticked down and signaled the end of regulation, overtime rules were read over the loudspeaker. A three-minute sudden death period would decide the outcome of this year’s CLL state championship.
Every member of the LexCath team, both players and coaches, will tell you that defeating Sayre doesn’t happen every day. Saturday’s matchup marked the fourth time this season that the two squared off.
Each time — including Monday’s East Region finals wherein Sayre won 13-12 — LexCath found itself on the losing end. Thanks to the double-elimination format, the Knights had yet another shot at redemption. This time, on the biggest stage.
And on that stage, Lexington Catholic Coach Mary Rose Ramsey said she saw the best of her team.
“I could not be more happy for these girls,” Ramsey said. “This is our fourth time playing Sayre. We’ve lost every game. We had one of our early-season stars (Anna Everett) go down against them in the first game. And I could not be more proud of how the girls played. They were outstanding, I would not have wanted anyone better.”
The first overtime period passed without a goal after a critical save by LexCath goalie Annie Malley kept the Knights in it for another overtime.
It then only took eight seconds for them to secure the upset, as senior and MVP Lily Hester scored the game-winner. It was her first official goal of the afternoon, following a controversial moment with just under 16 minutes remaining in the second half where she was given a yellow card following a shot due to what was deemed a dangerous follow-through.
“Lily Hester,” Ramsey laughed, “she’s always been a controversial player. Because she plays hard, and that’s what you want out of the girl. She goes 100% no matter what. Left, right, up, down, she’s gonna get that ball. And that’s what you want out of an MVP.”
Lexington Catholic took an early 4-0 lead in the first 10 minutes of the game thanks to goals from senior Morgan Cameron (21:51, 15:10), freshman Mia Hester (18:27) and junior Audrey Haines (16:12). The Knights dominated possession, and the Spartans were forced to call a timeout following Cameron’s second goal of the day.
Though LexCath would never trail, there were a few ties on the afternoon, with the first arriving at 5-5 following a strong five-minute showing that included three goals from Sayre sophomore Anna Mullikin (14:52, 11:55, 11:29).
That Sayre push shifted the momentum of the game. What once felt like LexCath dominance became a fairly even showdown between the two teams. LexCath would not lead again by more than a single goal until Harris’ shot with 1:33 to play in regulation.
The Knights finished with 15 saves and 27 shots on goal, while Sayre finished with eight saves and 28 shots on goal.
LexCath sisters Lily and Ava Hester agreed that their team’s ability to work together made the difference.
“We gel as a team,” Lily Hester said. “And, you know, it’s highs and lows. We get better as a team. I’m still in shock.”
“It’s a great group of girls,” Ava Hester said. “And I think we’re blessed. We give all glory to God.”
“We love each other,” Lily Hester said. “We work hard for each other, we came from the bottom and made our way to the top.”
