5/19/10 Stow vs Magnificat - State Tourn Rd 1 (L, 12-17)
Magnificat Ends Stow's Season
For the second time in two years, Stow opened tournament play at home but could not advance as they fell 17-12 to Magnificat. Stow fell behind early as the speed of the Magnificat offense allowed them to beat double-teams and approach the goal clear of defenders. The first goal was scored only 10 seconds into the game.
Ellie Swanger, who played with intensity all night, answered by gaining control at midfield and dodging through the defense to flick an overhand shot to tie the score. Magnificat scored the next two goals before Lizzie Song drew a double team and Karlie Jones slipped underneath to snag a perfect pass from Song. She fired it to the net to give Stow hop. But Magnificant scored the next four goals to take a commanding 7-2 lead at the 10 minute mark.
Stow showed signs of life when Jaclyn Hoover scored on a bounce shot off an assist from Song, then Kelly Vitt zipped a pass from the wing to Song as she curled from the back of the net. Song fired an underhand laser to narrow the score. Magnificat re-eastablished a 4-goal lead with only 17 second remaining, but Stow showed their resilience when Brittani Hylton scored (off an assist by Haley Hopins) as time expired in the first half.
Trailing 8-5, Stow hoped to claw back into the game, but Magnificat led off the scoring in the second half after only 1 minute had elapsed. In response, Ellie Swanger fed Karlie Jones on a scoring play, but Magnificant scored the next two goals to establish an 11-6 lead, and the prospects for a comeback dimmed.
Later, Hoover scored on a free position shot, but Magnificat answered less than a minute later. Stow mounted a small rally midway through the half by scoring the next three goals. First Ellie Swanger drove through the defense by sheer force of will and scored, then Lizzie Song ducked under the defense to drill a shot from the right side. Finally Hoover set up Hopkins on a scoring play. The home crowd stirred with excitement as Stow trailed by only 2 with 10 minutes to play.
Magnificat slammed the door by scoring three goals in a one-minute span, and added another goal at the 6 minute mark to lead 16-10. Swanger found Song on a scoring play with 4 minutes left, but Magnificat answered. Lizzie Song ended her outstanding lacrosse career by scoring the final goal of the season with only 10 seconds remaining.
Stow's defenders, including Katie Hill, Alex Madonia, Rachel Spiker, Jessica Swanger, Kendra Mossor, and Gina Bonfiglio had their hands full all night, but allowed the Bulldogs to fight their way back into a game that appeared to be a rout early on. In the end they simply could not match the speed of the attack.
Erin Wright suffered the loss in goal for the Bulldogs.
5/17/10 Stow vs Jackson (L, 8-16)
Jackson Defeats Stow
Stow Munroe Falls girls' lacrosse team completed its regular season on Monday night against Jackson in Massillon. The Bulldogs could not overcome the game conditions and Jackson's offense and fell by a score of 16-9. A torrential rain began well before the game and continued throughout, turning the field to a muddy mess. Jackson scored four goals to open the contest before Laura Hale rifled a shot to the back of the Jackson net at the 16 minute mark. Jaclyn Hoover converted on a free position shot to bring the score to 4-2, but Jackson answered with two quick goals to re-establish command. Hoover scored off an assist by Hale, but could not find a way to slow the home team's assault and surrendered two more goals. Lizzie Song scored with 2 minutes remaining in the half, and Ellie Swanger followed off an assist by Haley Hopkins, but the Bulldogs trailed 8-6 as the teams took an abbreviated halftime.
In the second half, Jackson scored first but the goal was answered by Karlie Jones. After that, it seemed the Maroon and Gold simply wanted to find relief from the wind, rain, and cold as Jackson completely dominated play, scoring the next 6 goals to take a commanding lead.
The Bulldogs finally showed signs of life at the 10 minute mark, as Ellie Swanger fed Lizzie Song as she slashed toward the goal. Song fired to the corner to score for the Bulldogs. Jones scored her second goal three minutes later, but Jackson played ball control and stifled any potential rally. Song scored her third goal with just under a minute to play. Erin Wright absorbed the loss in goal.
The Bulldogs (10-6) will play their first tournament game on Wednesday. Stow will host Magnificat (7-8) at their home field.
5/7/10 Stow vs Wooster (W, 15-8)
Stow Rallies to Victory on Senior Night
The Stow Munroe Falls girls lacrosse team fell behind early, but exploded in the second half against the visiting Wooster Generals on Friday evening. The Bulldogs were playing the final home game for eleven seniors, and the pregame festivities may have been a bit of a distraction for the team as they started slowly.
Lizzie Song scored a quick goal for the Maroon and Gold, but Wooster responded with two straight goals to take the lead. Ellie Swanger then scored for the Bulldogs, but Wooster responded with three straight, and led 5-2 with just under 10 minutes remaining in the first half.
In the middle of the period, Stow began to play with their characteristic intensity. At the 8 minute mark, Song flipped a pass to Ellie Swanger as she streaked toward the goal. She fired an overhand shot over the goalkeeper's shoulder into the net. Both teams fought hard over the next 6 minutes before Stow broke through with Karlie Jones firing high to Ellie Swanger, who snagged the pass and drilled a shot to the back of the net to put the Bulldogs within one.
Wooster responded to re-establlish a two goal advantage, but with only seven seconds remaining in the half, Kelly Vitt found Laura Hale near the crease, and she fired high over the goalie's reach to send the teams to intermission with the Generals holding a slim 6-5 advantage.
In the second half, Stow overcame the deficit and never looked back as they dominated play, opening with six unanswered goals. With less than a minute elapsed, Karlie Jones scored on a free position shot. Then Jones set up temmate Kendra Mossor as she rolled from behind the net to the left side of the goal and beat the goalkeeper to score. Less than a minute later, Ellie Swanger found Hale open near the right post, and she converted with a fine overhand shot.
Song added a goal on a penalty shot before Swanger connected with Hale on a near copy of their previous goal, with Hale scoring from the right side of the crease. Swanger completed the run by setting up the defense, drawing a double team and backing away before slashing to the front of the goal and launching a rocket past the surprised keeper and giving Stow a commanding 11-6 lead.
Wooster managed to slow the attack by scoring at the 10:30 mark, but Stow did not let up the pressure as Swanger's short-range shot was blocked, but she picked up the rebound off the goalie's pads and flipped it into the goal.
At just over 2 minutes, Song passed to Mossor, who returned the give-and-go to Song as she sped to the front of the crease and fired to the back of the net. Wooster finally scored again, but Kendra Mossor gained control near midfield with 1 minute remaining and ran in on the right side to score.
Finally, with only 40 seconds remaining, Song raced upfield with three defenders in position, but she weaved through the opposition to record the final Stow goal.
Erin Wright was credited with the victory in goal. Stow's defensive effort was led by Alex Madonia, Emily Schneider, and Rachel Spiker. Sierra Billhimer and Katie Hill were also key contributors in the defensive end.
5/4/10 Stow vs Cleveland Heights (L, 5-18)
Heights Bullies Way to Victory Over Bulldogs
On Tuesday, May 4th, Stow traveled to Cleveland Heights to take on their powerful girls lacrosse team which was ranked 5th in the state in Division 1. The Bulldog squad found little room to operate as the Heights team played an aggressive, slashing game throughout. The Tigers scored three goals in the first two minutes before Ellie Swanger scored on a penalty shot. Heights scored again before Kendra Mossor scored the second goal for Stow. The Tigers then reeled off 5 straight goals to establish a commanding 9-2 lead with 9 minutes to play. Height had dominated time of possession as they held a 15-4 advantage in draw controls and outshot the Bulldogs 21-10.
The aggressive, physical play of the Heights team had the Bulldogs reeling, but they began to respond through the remaining minutes of the first half. They rallied with two straight goals, the first on a well executed play as Jessie Swanger assisted Kelly Vitt, and the scond on a penalty shot by Lizzie Song. Mossor scored her second goal of the half at the six minute mark, but Heights added three more goals to lead 13-5 at halftime.
The second half was much more even from a scoring standpoint, but the Tigers elevated their level of aggression to a dangerous state, earning yellow cards and even an ejection as they violated rules designed to protect the opposing players. The rough play was difficult to excuse, particularly in a game where the home team held a commanding advantage throughout.
Heights scored the first three goals of the second half before Song scored for the Bulldogs off an assist by Gina Bonfiglio. Stow's final goal came with only 30 seconds remaining as Ellie Swanger tallied an unassisted score.
Cleveland Heights scoring came from their premier player Meg Lentz who had 8 goals on the evening. Eve Tranchito, Kelly Jones, and Telly Legasi added three goals apiece for the Cleveland Heights team.
Erin Wright shouldered the loss in goal despite recording 14 saves.
