Lady 'Rines Lax Primed for Clarksburg Rematch

Energized by a resounding win on senior night where they re-gained their midseason spark—and found a timely, if unexpected, boost in goal—Watkins Mill’s girls’ lacrosse is heading into today’s playoff opener against Clarksburg ready to build on what has already been the best season in years.

The outlook wasn’t as sunny only a few days ago, with the Lady ‘Rines mired in a brutal week where they suffered four losses in five days, starting with a 14-10 loss on May 3 at Quince Orchard.

Watkins Mill returned home two nights later for a grudge match against Springbrook, to whom they had lost in overtime last year despite a seven-goal lead. The fatigue started to show as Springbrook’s physical style of play took its toll. After scoring eight goals in the first half, Watkins Mill managed only four in the second.

Meanwhile, Springbrook attackers Micah Brown and Jenelle Whitman ran free past—and in one crucial play, through—exhausted Wolverines defenders, to combine for six second-half goals, including Brown’s pair of penalty shots in the final minute to give Springbrook the 13-12 win.

All told, Springbrook held the lead for 44 seconds at the game's outset and 20 seconds at the very end.

That disheartening defeat carried over into a 19-8 shellacking by Poolesville on Friday night and 18-8 defeat at Blake on Saturday, their most lopsided losses of the year. So when Paint Branch jumped out to a 2-0 lead early in Tuesday’s game, it seemed like the skid would continue.

But something clicked. Kaylor Ficklin, Stephanie Martinez and Alexis Rusnak started showing that burst they had been largely missing during the prior week’s brutal stretch, and the Lady ‘Rines poured in seven second-half goals to walk away with the 10-7 win.

“The girls started to see the field, where to move and where to throw,” said Coach Vinnie Naylor. “They started to get that midseason form back, before Spring Break happened and then all the cancellations. Tonight, they were hitting on all cylinders.”

While Watkins Mill scores came nearly rapid-fire at one stretch, Wolverines goalie Sydney Williams stymied the Panthers on the defensive end. Williams—who had never played goalie before last year’s starter, Melody Anderson, tore her ACL before this season started—has split time in goal with freshman Jillian Gardner.

Williams’ soccer acumen has started to shine in recent games, and on Tuesday, she turned Watkins Mill’s biggest liability into an asset with save after save from up close. The improved goaltending behind them frees up Watkins Mill’s already potent offense.

“We’ve been playing scared, and trying to control the tempo and keep it on the [offensive end] because we didn’t want to face that,” Naylor said. “But the last two games, she has stepped it up. She’s really starting to get into the groove and see things. This game, she was in control.”

Just in time for today’s rematch against rival Clarksburg, whom Watkins Mill beat 13-6 less than two weeks ago.

Though the team’s core of seniors are trying to make sure they don’t look past the Coyotes, it’s their opponents who should make pains not to take Watkins Mill lightly: Despite their much-improved season, most of the team still doesn’t feel like they get many of their opponents’ respect.

“Even when they’re warming up, you can tell they don’t really care,” said Stephanie Martinez, one of Watkins Mill’s four senior co-captains. “They’re like, ‘Oh, this is Watkins Mill, we’re going to beat them, it doesn’t matter.’ That kind of makes you mad.”