Sayre has new look, tougher road in improving Lexington girls lacrosse landscape
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- Sayre rallied with six unanswered goals to win 10-5 over Lexington Catholic.
- Madeline Mullikin scored four goals and opened scoring on a first-half steal.
- Sayre was ranked No. 13 and held a 9-4 overall, 2-0 7th Region record.
Last season, Sayre breezed through most of its Central Kentucky girls lacrosse competition on the way to a 7th Region title and state runner-up finish in the first-KHSAA sanctioned state tournament for the sport.
That Spartans squad graduated seven seniors, including its top two scorers, so 2026 figured to be more challenging, anyway.
But the competition has gotten tougher, as well.
“The excitement for the sport is building. We played Frederick Douglass, and we won 11-10, and it was a nail biter,” said Sayre coach Anna Cook, whose Spartans are ranked No. 13 in the current Laxnumbers.com ratings. “I was really impressed with what their team brought. It’s just a different lay of the land for Lexington. And so we’re going to keep working.”
On Thursday, Sayre saw a 4-1 lead over No. 12 Lexington Catholic evaporate in a matter of minutes late in the third quarter. But the Spartans responded with six unanswered goals for a 10-5 win.
“We were really fidgety with our passing and stuff, but we just really brought things together,” said freshman Madeline Mullikin, who scored the game’s first goal on a steal inside the 8-meter arc during a sluggish first half and finished with a team-high four goals as the pace picked up.
Lexington Catholic (5-5, 1-0 in the 8th Region) stormed to the lead in the third quarter on a succession of goals by Chloe Portwood, Poppy Karthikeyan, Greta Ivy and Wells Pfister.
But Sayre (9-4. 2-0 in the 7th Region) retook the lead on two free-shot goals in the final 52 seconds of the third, the first by Margaret Nealy and the go-ahead just before the horn sounded by Kathryn Kinder. Kinder, a senior who was a 1,000-point scorer for the Spartans’ basketball team, added another moments later. Junior Danica Porter scored two of her three goals in the fourth quarter to extend the lead.
“We’ve had to count on more people. Last year, we had Anna Mullikin, who is doing great at High Point,” Kinder said of Madeline’s older sister, who led the state with 96 goals last season and is now a Division I midfielder.
Madeline Mullikin, the youngest of five Mullikin siblings, acknowledged she’s dealt with her sister’s shadow for a while. She uses it as motivation.
“I really want to be my own person, because I’ve had struggles with different coaches wanting me to be just like her,” she said. “I’m just proving my point in using that anger to really push myself to be the best version of myself.”
Porter leads Sayre with 42 goals in 13 games this season. Seven other Spartans have notched at least 10 goals.
Most boys and girls lacrosse teams have dealt with nearly a two-week hiatus around spring break. The Spartans hadn’t played a game since April 2. While the game rust showed a little on Thursday, Cook said the Spartans second half rally revealed the team she thinks they can be.
“I think many people knew this season was going to be a bit of a building year. A lot of leadership that we needed was changing, honestly,” she said. “I would say that tonight was the first night that I felt like, Yes, this is our team. This is what we’re going to do the rest of the season.”
The Spartans’ defense of their 7th Region title won’t be easy as rival Henry Clay’s exploits have made the Blue Devils the No. 6 team in the state. Their regular season showdown is scheduled on April 28, just two weeks before the postseason.
Lexington girls high school lacrosse
Here’s a look at Lexington’s nine girls lacrosse teams at the midway point of the 2026 season. Teams are listed in order of their latest LaxNumbers.com ranking. Stats are according to the latest reported to the KHSAA. Coach comments are from Herald-Leader’s preseason survey, which five of the city’s nine coaches returned.
No. 6 Henry Clay
Record: 8-2, 2-0 in the 7th Region.
Top scorers: Audrey Webster, 39; Amelia Webster, 31, Reese Daugherty, 15.
Between the pipes: Rhea Combs, 64 saves, 5.7 goals allowed average (GAA).
Big games ahead: No. 8 Ballard, Saturday; Sayre, April 28.
Notes: Team captains Audrey and Amelia Webster, twin sisters, and Vonnie Allen Guy are all committed to continuing their playing careers in college at Transylvania, Webster and Lacrosse (the actual name of a college in Mississippi).
Coach Tony Hicks says: “We have a great group of girls this year who are working really hard on and off the field.”
No. 12 Lexington Catholic
Record: 5-5, 1-0 8th Region.
Top scorers: Poppy Karthikeyan, 34; Chloe Portwood, 28; Wells Pfister, 21.
Between the pipes: Kayla Rogers, 28 saves, 6.1 GA; Emma Stanley, 10 saves, 2 GA; Berkeley Rogers, 5 saves, 4.8 GA.
Big games ahead: No. 2 Sacred Heart, April 20; Lexington Christian, April 25.
Notes: The Knights have lost four of their last five, all to top 25 teams. They were last season’s 8th Region runner-up to Paul Laurence Dunbar.
No. 13 Sayre
Record: 9-4, 2-0 in the 7th Region.
Top scorers: Danica Porter, 42; Gigi Little, 18; Hadley Luring 16.
Between the pipes: Adrian Smith, 43 saves, 6.8 GA; Eli Powell, 13 saves, 2.4 GA.
Big games ahead: Henry Clay, April 28, No. 2 Sacred Heart, May 4.
Notes: The Spartans turned a 14-11 to Notre Dame last season into a 10-8 win over the Pandas in the state semis.
Coach Anna Cook says: “I’ve told my players, ‘We lost some talented athletes, but we have not lost the talent in this team.’ It’s time for new players to step up, and make this team their own!”
No. 14 Lexington Christian
Record: 5-3, 0-0 in 8th Region.
Top scorers: Mia Hester, 38; Abby Shackleton, 15, Madeleine Eubank, 12.
Between the pipes: Regan LeBus, 76 saves, 9.7 GA.
Big games ahead: Lafayette, April 21; Lexington Catholic, April 25.
Notes: The Eagles have their entire region schedule ahead of them, but have topped No. 13 Sayre, No. 21 Cooper and No. 24 Ryle this season. Eubank is committed to Thomas More, and LeBus is committed to Suffolk.
Coach Tony Shackelton says: Hester “can change a game in an instant, but her impact goes beyond the goals, her energy, work ethic and competitiveness elevates everyone around her.” … “This is going to be an amazing season with a very strong senior class. The sky’s the limit.”
No. 17 Lafayette
Record: 4-5, 1-0 in the 8th Region.
Top scorers: Isabella Dietzel, 26; Jill Gerding, 16; Anna Grace Rumford, 10.
Between the pipes: Lily Wilson, 33 saves, 4.6 GA; Wed Alzubaudu, 12 saves, 2.9 GA.
Big games ahead: Lexington Christian, April 21; Lexington Catholic, April 23, No. 5 Christian Academy-Louisville, April 28.
Notes: Dietzel and Wilson, both seniors, are four-year starters. Three seniors are expected to continue playing in college, according to the team, but their commitments have not been announced, yet.
Coach Rebecca Mickleson says: “We have a lot of returning varsity players and 11 seniors on the roster. In Lexington, the sport of lacrosse has experienced a lot of growth over the past few years, so we know there are no easy games.”
No. 20 Frederick Douglass
Record: 6-5, 2-1 in the 7th Region.
Top scorers: Amaya Martinez, 43; Maggie Rambach, 13; Kendal Stoneburner, 12.
Between the pipes: Hannah Piatt, 50 saves, 8.6 GA.
Big games ahead: Henry Clay, April 23.
Notes: The Broncos beat LCA 14-12 and played No. 10 Manual and No. 13 Sayre close in losses of 8-5 and 12-11, respectively. Kamryn-Austin-Edge, a senior committed to Spalding, “is intentional about making sure everyone feels included and supported, and that kind of presence builds team chemistry. Her attitude is contagious.”
Coach Miranda Bingham says: Leading scorer Amaya Martinez “represents dedication in every sense of the word. She consistently shows up ready to work and is often one of the last to leave practice because she’s committed to improving her game.”
Paul Laurence Dunbar
Record: 1-4, 0-0 in the 8th Region.
Top scorers: No stats reported to the KHSAA.
Between the pipes: No stats reported to the KHSAA.
Big games ahead: Sayre, April 20; Lafayette, May 1; LCA, May 6.
Notes: The Bulldogs are the defending 8th Region champions and returned second-leading scorer Silvia Zhou (60 goals) this season.
Tates Creek
Record: 4-6, 0-2 in the 8th Region.
Top scorers: Alexia Mbolinani, 34; Amy Garcia, 11; Kristal Rose, 5..
Between the pipes: Willow Bacon, 85 saves, 7.8 GA.
Big games ahead: Douglass, April 18; LCA, April 28.
Bryan Station
Record: 0-5, 0-1 in the 7th Region.
Top scorers: Sydney Bennett, 18; Paeton Morgan, 2.
Between the pipes: Lillian Kelly, 47 saves, 17 GA.
Big games ahead: Douglass, April 20; Sayre, April 22.
This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 10:51 AM.
