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Albemarle tops Valley in NW region lax final
The Northwest Region girls' lacrosse championship game between Albemarle and host Loudoun Valley turned into a tale of two halves May 28 in Purcellville.
The Vikings scored the final four goals of the first half to build a 7-4 halftime lead, only to see Albemarle respond with a 7-1 advantage in the second half to collect an 11-8 victory and the region championship trophy.
"We didn't play a particularly great first half and it was still 7-4. So we felt we had a shot if we did the things that Loudoun Valley was doing well -- getting ground balls, moving to the ball, possessing it and not forcing passes," said Albemarle coach Davis Sloan, who spoke to his squad about getting back to basics at halftime.
"We just talked about going back to fundamentals and taking care of the ball. Of course, you have to get it in the goal and we haven't had that problem all year," Sloan continued. "We have a pretty good offense when it’s clicking. So we just talked about doing the things you need to do to win a big game like this. We knew going in that Loudoun Valley was going to be tough and they sure were."
Loudoun Valley (15-4) was unable to add a region title to its Cedar Run District regular season and tournament championships.
Jessie Harkey, Sophie Swan, Morgan Becker and Michelle Zakrewski each scored two goals for the Vikings. Becker scored Valley's last goal of the game with more than 16 minutes left in regulation.
"I think it had a lot to do with ball control. I tell the girls all the time that ground balls win the games," Vikings coach Jay Harkey said about the second half. "They started getting control of the ball. We had a couple of calls against us that caused the ball to go the other way and they capitalized on it.
"Offensively, they took advantage of some opportunities and put some goals away. That started their momentum and it never stopped. I give them all the credit in the world," Harkey continued. "They had a great game plan coming into the second half and we played basically, a half and a quarter."
Margaret Moss scored all six of her goals in the second half for Albemarle (15-2). Goalie Erin Jablonski, who will play field hockey on a scholarship at VCU, made 18 saves in the win. Both coaches praised her play after the game.
Both teams advance to the Virginia AAA/AA tournament by virtue of reaching the region championship game. Albemarle will host Westfield in the state quarterfinals May 30 and Loudoun Valley will play at Western Albemarle May 31 at 5 p.m.
"Two years ago, we lost the districts, we lost the region, and we went to the state semifinal. There is no reason why we can't do it again," Harkey said. "In fact, not to get ahead of myself, but if we just play to our game plan, there is no question these girls can go much further than the quarterfinals. One game a time. If we get past this next one, we are in the state semifinals again and anything can happen."
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