Viewfinder: Lady Norsemen, Lady Blue Devils Fall In Girls Lacrosse Regional Semis

The 2011 girls lacrosse season came to a close for both , which fell to Marian, 13-6, and , which was edged by Birmingham United, 15-14, Wednesday night in the regional round of the state tournament Wednesday evening at Troy High.

Despite a 14-goal performance from South, Birmingham United standout Kathy Quigley scored a goal with 1:18 remaining in the closing half to put her squad up, 15-14—a tally that would hold up until the end of the contest.

"Tonight I thought we put it all together," South coach Lauren Germaine said. "We've struggled all year to put two halves together, but I feel like we did that tonight. We played with confidence and as a team. It just all came together and as a coach, you can't ask for much more than that."

South looked strong throughout the contest, out-hustling Birmingham on a regular basis, and playing with an intensity the United team had trouble matching in many cases.

"We left the intensity out there, we really did," Germaine said. "We lost in points, but I think that's a game we won tonight."

Seniors Kelsey Silzell, Elizabeth Clem and Shleby Stone all had three goals each for the Lady Blue Devils, while junior Jenna Morris added two goals to the tally for South.

Chelsea Merrill and Lilly Sterr also scored for the Lady Blue Devils in the season-ending loss. 

North had a tall task against Bloomfield Hills Marian.

The Mustangs were ranked in the top 10 in the state and are considered state-title candidates this season.

The Lady Norsemen learned quickly exactly how the Mustangs earned this reputation.

Marian pounced on North in the first half, taking a 10-1 lead into the break, and eventually holding on for a 13-6 win.

"It's disappointing that we played such a poor first half defensively tonight," North coach Bill Seaman said. "But, as has been our habit, we work hard, and we played reasonably well in the second half."

Marian's speed was a clear problem for the Lady Norsemen, particularly in the opening half.

"We're just not quite use to playing a team with the speed Marian has overall," Seaman said. "And when you don't play very well defensively, they will make you pay. That's what they did to us in the first half."

The second half was a different story, with North out-scoring the Mustangs, 5-3, and looking much sharper on both ends of the field.

"I simply told the team that they had to compete," Seaman said, explaining what he told the team at halftime. "If the ball is on the ground, you have to get it. If you have the ball on the offensive end, you have to push at the goal. They responded. These are great kids, and a good team, but Marian was clearly the better team and no begrudging that fact."

North senior Mackenzie Seaman scored all six goals for the Lady Norsemen.

North finished the season 12-4-1.