Oakdale girls lacrosse runs past Tuscarora into regional final
Being a freshman, attack Riley Bova didn’t have any varsity lacrosse experience before she began playing for Oakdale’s girls team this spring.
But Bova’s understandably thin high school sports résumé already included an entry that suggested she might fit right in with the Bears.
In the fall, Bova ran cross-country, working on endurance that has helped her deal with having little — if any — time to catch her breath on the sidelines. Bova’s team has just 13 field players, meaning most Bears play a full game.
But as their 12-1 win over host Tuscarora in Friday’s Class 3A West Region I semifinals showed, the Bears seem used to their rest-deprived situation by now.
All night long, Oakdale mounted quick-strike attacks, be it from nice passing sequences or from the ability of players like Allison Finley to fly up the field with the ball, and they had defenders constantly hounding ballcarriers.
That approach paid off as the Bears, who got three goals each from Bova and Finley, jumped out to an early lead and gradually pulled away from a quality opponent.
Oakdale (8-5) advances to the regional final, where it will play at Linganore on Monday. When those teams met on April 12, the Lancers escaped with a 10-9 win.
Despite having that potential rematch looming, the Bears didn’t hold back any energy on Friday, not even on free-position opportunities. Anna Alt got called for breaking toward the net before the whistle blew on one free position, and Avery Ray was twitching her left foot waiting for that whistle to signify she could go on another one.
Having a first-round postseason bye might’ve allowed the Bears to bring a little extra energy against the Titans.
“Our focus on practice was making sure we were ready to run the whole game,” Bears coach Erika Thompson said. “Because we’ve been short legs all season, and we want to make sure that doesn’t affect us moving into the playoffs.”
Most Bears players have played full games all season.
“A lot of conditioning really, and playing down all the time with no subs really gets us into shape, too,” Finley said. “It’s not as bad when you get used to it.”
Bova’s cross-country season also helped her prepare, although the running in lacrosse differs from what she did in the fall.
“It definitely works different muscles, and you run differently, especially playing attack, it’s more speed and bursts rather than playing on middie,” she said. “But it still comes in handy with the conditioning.”
Ray had two goals for the Bears. Kaitlyn Staiger had one goal and one assist. Alt, Katherine Moore and Grace Meyer each had one goal.
Tuscarora goalie Bri Amick prevented the Bears from piling up more goals. The senior finished with 16 saves, including several where she foiled free-position shots by charging the shooter.
“She just has the mind of a field player at times. She just knows she needs to stop ball, and she’ll jump out if she needs to,” said Titans coach Miranda Malagari, who has seen Amick have good games since she was a freshman. “That’s the best I’ve ever seen her play in four years.”
The Titans finish with a 7-5 record.
“It was a very good year. A lot of people doubted us, and we had low numbers,” Malagari said. “But we played strong every single game, no matter who the opponent was.”
Alyssa Hartis scored for Tuscarora.
