Atoms Advance to Second Round of Districts, Barker Makes 500th Career Save

Annandale’s Emma Barker kicked off a night of milestones for both the boys and girls lacrosse teams, recording her 500th career save in the second half of a 19-2 win over Lee on Friday in the opening round of the Patriot District tournament. Paige Britton led the way on offense with five goals, and Katie Vu added four goals and three assists.

The Atoms wasted no time getting on the scoreboard. Mackenzie Wright scored 10 seconds into the game, and Esra Gokturk followed with another mark 22 seconds later. After the Lancers’ Carly Martin cut the deficit in half, Vu kept finding herself completely alone in front of the crease for three straight goals. Annandale led 11-1 before Martin notched her second goal, but it was all Atoms the rest of the way.

“We’re playing so well together – the timing, the communication and the support they have for each other – this is where you want to be at this time of the season,” head coach Cindy Hook said.

Most impressive was the Atoms’ ability to draw defenders away from the crease, leaving the front of the net completely open for passes to cutting attackers. Vu and Britton perfected the strategy, but eight different players notched goals.

“Most of our goals are off of a pass. They’re the most fun and they're the most effective,” Hook said. “It takes a team effort to be able to pass and be successful in that area. You might see two players that are actually making the play, but if the other players are simply watching them, it isn’t going to happen.”

Hook added that the execution of a successful offense is comparable to “a musical production.”

With four saves in the first half, Barker needed just one more to reach 500. The one that got her there was impressive, coming on a direct shot.

“She works very hard and has a great attitude, and a very short memory, which you need as a goalkeeper,” Hook said of Barker. “When she plays, she kind of gets in a zone, and all the work that she does in practice shows up, but not necessarily in exactly same way. We’ll work on stuff at practice, and then she puts it into her own play during the game.”

The Atoms next challenge will be the winner of West Potomac and Woodson, who also played Friday night. That game will be played at Lee at 5 p.m. on Tuesday with a spot in the championship game on the line. While Annandale routed the Wolverines 17-6 on May 2, the Cavaliers provided a much stiffer test, taking the Atoms to overtime before eventually falling 12-11 on April 4.