Girls Lacrosse: Woodgrove Makes History with Young School's First Ever District Title in Any Sport

By Dan Sousa
VivaLoudoun.com Editor
Purcellville (May 6, 2011) – Just 48 hours after their toughest defeat of the season, the young Woodgrove High School girls lacrosse team made history Thursday night as the Wolverines defeated Freedom, 13-10, to finish a perfect 9-0 Dulles District season and capture the first district title for the first-year school in any sport.

“This was the perfect end to the regular season,” said Woodgrove coach Bob Fuller, who could breathe a sigh of relief after his gamble of scheduling top notch non-district opponents for his team, with no seniors on the roster, paid off. “My plan all along was to work them hard and have a tough as schedule as possible to prepare them for these tougher games.”

The Wolverines (9-5 overall) were 0-5 out of district with all five losses coming to teams ranked in the Top 15 in the state according to LaxPower.com – No. 7 Loudoun Valley, No. 10 Oakton, No. 11 Stone Bridge, No. 12 West Springfield and No. 14 Robinson.

“It feels good to win the district title. We proved everybody wrong,” said junior Ashlyn Dacey, one of only three players with varsity experience, along with Ellen Fuller and Keira Hornyak, who moved from Loudoun Valley to open the new Purcellville school.


Dacey, one of seven players to score in the Wolverines balanced offensive attack, scored a team-high four goals Thursday, but it was Woodgrove’s defense behind first-year goalie Bailey Carver as they held high-scoring Freedom to their lowest output of the season.

The Eagles (8-1, 12-2) came in averaging 16.6 goals per contest and they appeared on pace to hit that Thursday with a 5-4 lead with just under eight minutes to play in the first half. For Freedom the fight for first place was a long way from where they started their program in 2006.

"What a way's we have come! The honest key to success that we have had is dedication, commitment, and off-season training," said Freedom coach Robyn Freedman-Schnapp. "Primarily led by the senior class this year, they have been with me for four years and understand the hard work and dedication it would take to get where we are today. Their leadership skills, which came out last year as Juniors, really has helped this team grow in the past few years."

Woodgrove, however, clamped down defensively and it would be almost 23 minutes -- 15 minutes into the second half -- before the next Freedom score.

“Defensively we were on fire and our offense was producing,” said Carver, a basketball player who had never played lacrosse before this season. She was credited with 14 saves Thursday and the Wolverine defense led by Danielle Panteleo, Lisa Hemphill and Meg Nelis kept Freedom’s dangerous scorer’s Amber Kim (six goals) and Megan Gluck (3 goals) in check most of the night.

"We mentally were not in the game. And with the mental status we were in, physically we could not beat our own heads. We have never gone in to a game putting so much pressure on ourselves. Woodgrove is a good team - and they showed us that last night," said Freedman-Schnapp. "During the scoreless minutes, that is something that we were not used to this season. It seemed like we could not hold onto the ball. We were not doing the little things such as getting the ground balls and making good passes and catches. In addition, we were not winning the draw which puts us down on the defensive end a lot."

The Woodgrove defensive showcase came came just two days after Carver and the Wolverines had given up 15 goals in a tough 15-6 road loss at West Springfield.

“That was Bailey’s lowest game of the season to tonight which was her best game of the season,” said Fuller. “She did it with attitude, footwork, stickwork … I’m extra proud of her.”

What appeared to be a back and forth affair turned one-sided in the final third of the first half. It didn’t surprise Fuller who credited his team’s work ethic and tough conditioning program. Goals by Hemphill, off an assist from Hornyak and then Hornyak gave the Wolverines a 6-5 lead at the half.

In the second half, Woodgrove rattled off five straight goals to take a commanding 11-5 lead. Dacey, who has three older brothers who all play or have played lacrosse in college, scored three of those during the run. Ellen Fuller struck off a restart and Olivia Becker scored off a nice feed from Nicole Devonoge.

Freedom finally stopped the run with Kim’s goal with 10:03 left. When Gluck muscled in for a score at 8:52 it was a four-goal game but Woodgrove retained its cushion as Veronica Salamone scored from close range and Hemphill added her second goal off an assist from Morgan Miller.

Freedom scored three times in the final 90 seconds but it was too late as the Wolverines were able to celebrate their place in school history.