Topsail girls lacrosse overcomes Hoggard, advances to state playoff quarterfinals
The Topsail girls lacrosse team was one step behind Hoggard for the entire regular season, but that all changed Tuesday night as the Pirates defeated their conference rivals 18-11 in the third round of the NCHSAA state playoffs.
Topsail, which started quick and finished faster, was fueled by a combination of well-rounded ball movement and individual star power.
Junior Lillian Austin was one of the game's most electric players, scoring eight goals on the night.
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"It really sets the tone and gives my team confidence if we can win the ball on the draw and also on ground balls," Austin said. "We're hungry. We want to win. We didn't play around today."
Both teams battled through the first half, matching each other nearly in stride as Topsail took a slight 11-8 advantage just before the end of the first period.
The second half proved how consistent the Pirates have become as the team scored seven goals, securing a spot in the 4A East quarterfinals against Chapell Hill.
The victory also marked Topsail coach Courtney Burghardt's 100th win.
Hoggard boys survive Apex Friendship, head to state quarterfinals
The Hoggard boys lacrosse team knew Tuesday night's playoff matchup with Apex Friendship wasn't going to be a breeze.
Despite being the No. 18 seed in the 4A East rankings, the Patriots cruised through the first two rounds of the playoffs, including a win over a highly talented Ashley team last Saturday.
The Patriots' run ended Tuesday night as they narrowly lost 11-10 to Hoggard in a game that nearly ended in an upset.
New Hoggard boys lacrosse coach Cort Rogers, who took over for the program just weeks ago, says the win proved how resilient his squad is.
"Obviously, we had our run in the first half, we looked good, but we took our foot off the gas pedal," Rogers said. "This was a big challenge for our boys and they showed a lot of heart."
In his first year in the Wilmington area, Rogers was thrust into the head coaching position at Hoggard after the team parted ways with first-year coach Colin Martin in April.
The whirlwind of a new coaching job in such a short time frame has left Rogers admittedly overwhelmed at moments, but he's starting to feel more than comfortable with his players.
"I was really just looking to play from the sidelines and help out how ever I could," he said. "I told the boys from the day It happened that I didn't want to change anything. They took it in stride, and since then, it's been a good solid trajectory upwards."
Hoggard jumped to a quick lead, eventually pushing the score to 9-5 at the half. However, the Patriots didn't give up, and a late goalie error led to a one-goal game.
It was Hoggard's defense, in the end, that secured the win that will send them to No. 3 Cardinal Gibbons on May 12 with a chance to advance to the state regionals.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Topsail girls lacrosse stuns Hoggard, advances to state quarterfinal
