The girls lacrosse team continued its playoff journey this past Wednesday, May 24, when it hosted Worthington Kilbourne, which knocked Academy out of OHSAA states last year, so the Vikes were looking for revenge this time around.
In the first half, neither team made any significant headway. Each goal was matched by the other team, and the game went into half-time tied 8-8.
As play resumed, the game heated up. Goalie Kelley Antoine’18 received her second concussion of the season and was covered by freshmen Gigi Bates and Lina Gokhale. Because of their new goalies’ lack of varsity experience, the defensive players rallied to defend their teammates, playing stifling defense for the rest of the game.
Kilbourne managed to match most of Academy’s goals, even briefly taking the lead, but the Wolves eventually slipped up and gave the Vikes the upper hand. The Wolves’ offense did minimal damage, and their defense could not stop the Vikes’ dynamic offensive scheme.
The highlights of the Vikes’ offense included 5 goals from sophomore Tani Obikunle, as well as 2-goal performances by seniors Michelle Daoud, Baylee Mueller, and sophomore Sydney Hill. Sophomore Lexi Leader ended the night with a hat trick, and Kiersten Thomassey’21 had an impressive game with her lightning-fast draw controls and speedy clears.
In the end, our Vikes got their revenge in a 16-13 victory.
On Saturday, May 27, the Vikings took on Desales. Earlier this season, Desales beat Academy by only one goal.
The first half of the game was a constant back and forth;however, the Stallions went into half with a 6-4 lead.
Despite their effort, the Vikings could not rally in the second half. The Stallions capitalized on the loss of the Viking’s goalie with ten goals in the second half. Although Academy put multiple powerful shots on frame, both from combinations and free positions, the Desales goalie deflected them all. The Stallions walked away with a 14-4 win.
Although the girls will not be traveling to states, they had a tremendous season, with a final record of 13 wins and only 4 losses.
