Cape Henlopen overcomes Tatnall, returns to the top of Delaware girls lacrosse

DOVER – Cape Henlopen has returned to Delaware's mountain top of girls lacrosse, using its speed in the open field and deftness on the draw control to win the state championship Thursday for the 14th time in the last 15 years.

The Vikings completed an 18-0 season with a 12-8 win against Tatnall. The Hornets (16-2) in last year's state title game ended Cape Henlopen's 176-game unbeaten streak against Delaware opponents, a run that stretched over 13 championship seasons. That loss echoed through the thoughts of Cape Henlopen players and coaches as they collected state championship medals at midfield of Caesar Rodney's Rider Stadium.

"Right off the bat, after losing last year, I think we really just wanted to make sure we made our mark this year," said senior captain Lulu Rishko. "We set out some goals at the beginning of the year and we stuck to them."

Coach Lindsey Underwood said this year's team is among the most talented in school history. The Vikings won four consecutive games against Maryland schools to start the year, then outscored their Delaware opponents in the regular season by a combined tally of 194-19. The loss to Tatnall last year served as a constant point of motivation, with senior Grace Wiggins describing the approach as a "get back" season.

But perhaps the defining characteristic of this title team was its speed. Efforts of many in the offseason to train for burst and agility showed up regularly, limiting Tatnall's opportunities in the open field. Underwood reminded the team at halftime to play at full throttle. They opened the third quarter on a 5-1 run, growing the game's largest lead at six.

"It's the fastest team we've had," Underwood said. "They've really bought into the faster we move the ball, the better we're going to be."

"Fitness is just a means to an ends. It's not a punishment," Underwood added. "We don't complain about it or anything like that. We just get it in, get it done and keep it moving so that we can use it to control the speed of play."

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Another key to Cape's success was its ability around the draw circle. The Vikings won 10 of 12 draws in the first half with Rishko in the center. Cape swapped in senior Anna Sullivan in the second half and won the ball on 8 of 12 tries. Sullivan often popped it in the direction of Wiggins, one of several do-it-all Vikings midfielders.

"My teammates are great at getting the ball off the circle because I was able to let them know where the ball was going to go and kind of predict where it was going, and we just all work together to get the ball," Rishko said.

Added Wiggins: "It's very important to get possession in a game like this, because having possession really controls the dominance of the score. Either team is talented enough — once we get the ball on offense, we can put it in the cage."

Tatnall scored first less than a minute into the game on a move from behind the goal by eighth grader Madelyn Farwell. The Vikings netted the next four goals, a run led by senior Lindsay D'Ambrogi, who missed parts of the last two seasons due to injury. She scored twice in the quarter and assisted on a goal from freshman Haley Gamuciello.

But, despite controlling possession, Cape Henlopen entered halftime holding just a 6-4 advantage. Tatnall goalie Devon Chipman denied at least five attempts in the second quarter. Underwood said it took her team time to adjust to Chipman, a lefty.

The run to start the third quarter was keyed by two goals from sophomore Claire Lopez, Rishko's third score of the game and an end-to-end goal by freshman Ally Diehl. Near the end of the quarter, Tatnall junior Charlotte Wilkinson scored twice and D'Ambrogi scored her third goal to tie Rishko for the team lead.

After Tatnall sophomore Leighton Houston scored 26 seconds into the fourth quarter to reduce the lead to 12-8, Cape thwarted multiple chances. With 7:22 to play goalie Anna Lopez saved an eight-meter shot. Wiggins then came up with a steal and the Vikings maintained possession for the next three and a half minutes.

Following a Cape turnover, Wiggins again got the ball back with 2:30 to play. Underwood called timeout, unlocking a loud ovation from the crowd. Moments later, Wiggins returned to the 45-yard-line with a mix of emotions.

"Pretty exciting, but pretty nerve-racking because I knew that they were going to crash immediately," Wiggins said. "But, I had trust in my teammates that we would be able to possess the ball."

Out of the timeout, Cape did just that, killing the rest of the clock with relative ease. D'Ambrogi sprinted behind the net as the final seconds of the clock wound down. The team dashed to the 50-yard line and jumped up and down in each other's arms.

As their names were called, Cape players sprinted to receive their championship trophies. The bobbing revealed a small patch of hair under their braids and ponytails that they dyed blue prior to the playoffs, a school tradition as customary as championship wins.

"It seems to be working so we're gonna keep doing it, probably," Rishko said.

Brandon Holveck reports on high school sports for The News Journal. Contact him at bholveck@delawareonline.com.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Cape Henlopen defeats Tatnall in Delaware girls lacrosse championship