REDMOND — For more than half of Wednesday’s Washington Schoolgirls Lacrosse Association state semifinal, Snohomish and Lake Sammamish traded goals.
But in the final 20 minutes of the game, Lake Sammamish showed why it’s the No. 1 ranked team in the tournament.
After being tied with Snohomish 4-4 in the early moments of the second half, Lake Sammamish scored seven consecutive goals and pulled away for a 12-6 victory at Marymoor Park in Redmond and advanced to Friday’s championship game against Issaquah.
“We couldn’t get the ball,” Snohomish head coach Katie Carroll said of her team’s second-half difficulties. “That sounds overly simplified, but we just couldn’t get possession or maintain possession.”
The same thing that allowed Lake Sammamish to pull away late in the game is what allowed Snohomish to stay even in the first half. Snohomish controlled more draws and displayed patience on the offensive end in the first 25 minutes.
That discipline paid off, but only briefly. Snohomish trailed 4-3 at halftime and scored the tying goal less than four minutes into the second half before Lake Sammamish pulled away.
An Achilles’ heel for Snohomish was its high number of fouls, drawing nearly three to every one called on Lake Sammamish.
“We fouled a lot,” Carroll said. “They got a lot of free shots that we maybe didn’t want to give up.”
All of Lake Sammamish’s first-half goals came off restarts from the free position after fouls, as did five of the eight it scored in the second half.
“When they’re fast you have to make sure that you are going to where they are going and not where they are,” Carroll said. “I don’t even know that we did poorly at them, but they just had so many that at the end of the game those kinds of numbers are going to beat you no matter what.”
Lake Sammamish handed Snohomish one of its two losses in the regular season. Though Wednesday’s game was closer, Carroll said the same things plagued her team in both games.
“In the first half, we were doing a really, really good job,” she said. “And then in the second half we couldn’t get possession, which was our problem in the first game.
“Even though we fixed it for a half, you’ve got to play two full halves.”
Senior Amelia Chirichigno of Redmond High School and senior Sarah Wyrick of Lake Washington High School each scored four goals to lead Lake Sammamish.
“They’re just faster (than other opponents),” Carroll said of Chirichigno and Wyrick. “Sometimes it takes us a while to adjust to speed.”
Glacier Peak senior Hanna Dalrymple scored three goals to lead Snohomish in her final game. Sophomore Hannah Graves finished with two goals.
Though Snohomish came up one victory short of advancing to the state title game, Carroll was proud of her team, especially its 11 seniors.
“It’s been a pretty epic season for this team anyway,” Carroll said. “We’ve beaten a lot people that we’ve never beat before or that these seniors have never beaten before. They’ve accomplished a lot. This is the furthest we’ve gotten in a couple of years in the playoffs. Even to lose at this stage, they’ve still accomplished a lot as a team.”
Aaron Lommers covers prep sports for The Herald. Follow him on Twitter at @aaronlommers and contact him at alommers@heraldnet.com.
At Marymoor Park
Snohomish 3 3 — 6
Lake Sammamish 4 8 — 12
Snohomish—Hanna Dalrymple 3 goals, 2 ground balls, 2 draw controls; Hannah Graves 2 goals, 3 ground balls; Kyrie Moos-Howick 1 goal, 2 draw controls; Zoe Powell 5 saves. Lake Sammamish—Amelia Chirichigno 4 goals, 1 assist, 1 ground ball, 2 draw controls; Sarah Wyrick 4 goals, 1 ground ball; 2 draw controls, 1 caused turnover; Megan Lynch 2 goals, 2 draw controls; Alexander Johnson 1 goal, 3 assists, 2 ground balls; Emily Sokol 1 assist, 1 ground ball; Anna Cearley 4 saves. Records—Snohomish 12-3 league, 12-3 overall. Lake Sammamish 14-1, 14-2.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
