MORGANTOWN — The University girls’ lacrosse team is no stranger to big-game situations — and with each one it faces, it seems to handle it better.
The Hawks visited Pony Lewis Field on Wednesday night for a battle with crosstown rival Morgantown — both teams entered tied for second in the West Virginia Scholastic Lacrosse Association (WVSLA) East Division. The teams traded goals back-and-forth for the majority of the night, but University pulled away late to secure an 11-9 victory.
“They didn’t panic. Morgantown is a great team, a real good team — they’re fundamentally sound. They responded every time we scored, and they would come right back. But we’re mentally tough — they’re smart, and they know what they’re capable of,” Hawks coach Kevin Armstrong said. “They know that every team in this league is going to give us our best shot. Morgantown did tonight, and we’re very lucky to come out of here with a win — very lucky.”
Emotions ran high as the rivalry game quickly turned physical, and neither team could seem to earn a definitive edge, but it’s those types of situations the Hawks (8-1) have seen so many times before and that Armstrong tries to prepare them for.
“This game is not an easy game. You’re going to have turnovers and you’re going to make mistakes. What a player has to understand is OK, cool, you made a mistake, but if you let that get to you mentally, you’re going t be out of position and cost us even more,” he said. “We have pretty intense practices, and I’m on them pretty good. My hope is that when they get to the games, the intensity of the game is no different from practice. I’m trying to work on this group mentally so that when adversity hits, they know how to handle it.”
University senior Sophie Armstrong, who paced the Hawks with four goals, credits the team’s composure to the unit keeping a bigger goal in mind — the program’s second trip to a WVSLA championship. Last season, a late-game rally brought the Hawks within one goal of the crown, and the loss still lingers on their minds.
“Losing that state championship — we want it this time, and that’s what I think motivates us to keep our cool and play as hard as we can,” she said. “It’s going to take more mentally and physically this year. I think if we keep working hard and thinking positive then we can make it there.”
Morgantown (9-3) dictated the pace of the game early, controlling possession efficiently. As the game wore on, the Hawks defensive effort proved a difference maker, as they began to wrest the ball away from Morgantown and create enough scoring opportunities to earn the advantage.
“At the beginning of the game they kept getting possession on draws and we had a hard time with that. Our defense really stepped up and created some turnovers — probably that’s what kept us in the game,” Armstrong said.
“The offense always gets in the paper, but if you ask what kept us one step ahead tonight, it was our defense and our goalie. They allowed us to shut some things down and keep us in the game.”
According to junior Emily McCabe, the Hawks have doubled down on their efforts in practice to increase their skill and communicate more efficiently on the defensive end.
“We’ve been working very hard on defense in practice and fixing our technique on defense. We’re talking to each other more, and we really try and just focus and play our game,” she said.
