It was an euphoric celebration May 5 as the Hilltoppers girls lacrosse team edged out the Chagrin Falls Tigers, 11-10.
Game photos click here.
It was an euphoric celebration May 5 as the Hilltoppers girls lacrosse team edged out the Chagrin Falls Tigers, 11-10.
“Today’s game was very exciting,” Chardon Head Coach Alison Platz said. “We’ve always struggled against Chagrin. They’re a solid team, they’re a phenomenal team. They are well coached.
“I think it was a huge confidence booster for our girls to be able to come out and finish this game tonight, and especially when it was so close.”
Chardon took a 6-5 lead into halftime. When asked what she told her team at the break, Coach Platz quipped, “I told them it’s not done yet. We still have to keep doing our jobs, and they did.”
After halftime, the Tigers scored early in the second half to tie the score at 6. The Hilltoppers came right back and took the lead 7-6 with 21:57 left in the game.
After the teams traded goals, Chagrin Falls tied up the game at 9-9 with 11:38 left in the contest.
The Hilltoppers scored two goals in the next four minutes to take an 11-9 lead.
But the Tigers did not give up.
Scoring with under two minutes left, Chagrin Falls brought the score to 11-10.
The final two minutes were pressure-filled, but the Hilltoppers were able to hold off their opponents’ final charge to get the victory.
Leading the way for the Toppers in the victory was sophomore Payton Platz, who scored six goals.
“We played really strong, and worked together really well,” she said. “In general, our motion offense, passing and cutting created a lot of space for me to get shots off.”
Adding two goals apiece for the Hilltoppers were seniors Grace Darone and Stella Parrish, who discussed how meaningful this victory was and stressed that they were highly motivated for this game.
“This is a game we had been wanting since last season, honestly, and we found out it was their Senior Night, and I think our team just pulled it together,” Darone said. “This is probably the best game we played. The assists today are things that were just beautiful.”
Added Parrish, “I think we came into this game with (the attitude) ‘we wanted this win.’ We knew we have lost on this field in the playoffs last year, and in the playoffs the year before. My saying coming into this game was, ‘We hate this field, but this is our field today.
“I think we just prepared so well for this game. … We were losing and we were tied at some points. … We just lifted each other up.”
Also contributing offensively for the Hilltoppers was Gray Tyminski, who had a goal.
Looking ahead toward preparing for the state playoffs, Coach Platz talked about what her team must continue to work on.
“I think we have done a nice job in working on and developing our offense. Our defense has come a long way,” the coach said. “I just think we have a lot of things to fine tune. … The draw needs some work for sure. And just some of our fundamentals need some work. I think this next week, that’s where our focus is going to be: just bringing it back to fundamentals and making sure we’re solid there before we take another step forward.”
The Hilltoppers conclude their regular season with a May 11 matchup against Avon.
