Lexington Catholic avenges March loss to LCA to reach girls lacrosse region finals
Nearly nine minutes into Saturday’s 8th Region girls lacrosse semifinal game between rivals Lexington Catholic and Lexington Christian, sophomore Poppy Karthikeyan scored the first of her four goals along the way to the Knights’ 9-3 victory.
Lexington Catholic (9-7, 4-2 8th Region) knew it was necessary to start strong in the semifinals if it wanted the chance at the region title — which will be won or lost on Monday night when the Knights face Paul Laurence Dunbar.
It was imperative that, against LCA (12-2, 4-1 8th Region) — a program which defeated the Knights 15-12 at the end of March — Lexington Catholic created and capitalized on any and all opportunities to get ahead.
“It was a part of the game plan,” LexCath assistant coach Jory Karthikeyan said. “I feel like with female sports, mentally, how you play is about 90% of the battle. And so, if we feel like we’re in charge and control from the beginning, it’s a pretty good game for us.”
Poppy Karthikeyan, just a sophomore, scored twice before the end of the opening quarter, with the second landing just 27 seconds after the first.
With a two-goal lead over the Eagles, Lexington Catholic showed no signs of slowing down. Just 12 seconds into the second quarter, senior Olyvia Mead increased the Knights’ lead to three. At the 8:31 marker, Karthikeyan scored another to put LexCath up by four.
“It was a good day,” Poppy Karthikeyan said. “Everyone was excited to play, and we were just all in that mindset of making sure we were being aggressive, and ready to make smart passes and shots.”
LCA junior Sarah Ebel broke through for the Eagles with just under three-and-a-half minutes remaining, but the Knights’ confidence was undeterred; in fact, their star sophomore continued her dominant showing with a fourth goal on a penalty shot attempt with about a minute to play in the first half.
Fellow sophomore Christy Cervoni converted a penalty shot of her own as the clock expired, and the Knights had a 6-1 advantage at halftime.
“I was really proud of our team,” Poppy Karthikeyan said. “I thought our communication has been extra good. And not just going to goal, but making those transition goals, I thought that was a lot better.”
The Knights’ roster is a young one. Jory Karthikeyan estimated 90% of the varsity squad are underclassmen, and they scored seven of the team’s nine goals Saturday.
Each time the Eagles found their rhythm, the Knights found a way to halt their momentum. LCA junior Madeleine Eubank cut the Knights’ lead to four with a goal at the 8:37 mark of the third quarter, and LexCath freshman Chloe Portwood pushed it back to five with her sole goal of the game with 5:26 to play in the period. And, when LCA junior Sarah Biliter scored a goal in the 10th minute of the fourth quarter, LexCath freshman Wells Pfister answered with a heartbreaker at the 9:18 mark.
Mead added another for good measure with 41 seconds to play, and the Knights earned the redemption win.
“We started from a really low spot, and we just built our team,” Poppy Karthikeyan said. “And I think we’ve really built such a community because everyone is younger and a lot of us haven’t played together. And now I’m really excited because we get the whole next three years to all play together and continue growing.”
Regardless of the outcome of Monday’s 8th Region championship game, both Lexington Catholic and Dunbar will advance to the state tournament.
Saturday’s other region semifinals
Paul Laurence Dunbar 14, Lafayette 6: The Bulldogs (13-4, 6-0 8th Region) continued their tear through the 8th Region with a wire-to-wire victory against the Generals on Lafayette’s home field.
Senior Becca Blakemore and junior Silvia Zhou led the way with four goals apiece. Sophomore McKay Coulter added three goals. Senior Audrey Fink scored two goals, and sophomore Leighton Daniel scored one.
Dunbar head coach Neely Johnston said her team’s chemistry is the key to its success.
“They love each other more than anything,” Johnston said. “And when I look to see who I play, I really look to see who is working together the best. And we’ve preached all season long, if there’s a problem, we figure out what’s going on and we fix it — we don’t place blame. We work together … they’re all so close, and I think it makes it better. They want it more than anything. They want it bad.”
The Bulldogs will play Lexington Catholic at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Lafayette. Dunbar defeated the Knights 21-6 on April 25 at Dunbar.
Sayre 16, Bryan Station 3: The Spartans (12-4, 5-0 7th Region) took care of business against the Defenders, completing their season sweep of Bryan Station. Sayre also won 18-1 at home on April 15.
Sayre head coach Anna Cook praised her team’s consistency in the victory.
“Nine a.m. game,” Cook laughed. “A little rough for high schoolers on a Saturday morning. Took us the first quarter to really get going, and then, once they started, it was just good movement, good communication. In the final stages of the season where you can really see it mesh together.”
In Saturday’s 7th Region semifinal, senior Anna Mullikin paced the Spartans with five goals. Sophomore Danica Porter and senior Avery Lurring each scored three. Senior Charlotte Harris and freshman Emiline Offit each added two goals.
The Spartans will face Henry Clay at 6 p.m. Monday at Great Crossing. Cook said she thinks the Spartans have what it takes to reach the state championship.
“I think getting out of our region is always tough,” Cook said, “because Henry Clay puts up a battle for us. But, I think, we get through that, we have tough competitors, but I think there’s a chance you could see us in the (state) finals. But otherwise you’re gonna see some really great games leading up to it.”
Henry Clay 20, Frederick Douglass 5: The Blue Devils (12-5, 4-1 7th Region) earned a spot in the 7th Region championship with a rout of Frederick Douglass at Great Crossing — without head coach Tony Hicks on the sideline due to family obligations.
Acting head coach Taylor Elder and fellow assistant coach Harper Zeitz guided the Blue Devils to victory, and booked a spot in Monday’s 7th Region final. Henry Clay received standout performances from juniors Amelia Webster and Vonnie Allen-Guy.
Monday’s region championships
GIRLS 7TH REGION FINALS AT GREAT CROSSING
6 p.m.: Sayre vs. Henry Clay
GIRLS 8TH REGION FINALS AT LAFAYETTE
6:30 p.m.: Lexington Catholic vs. Paul Laurence Dunbar
