Generals Drop Lacrosse Tournament Opener at Chantilly

An hour long rain delay could not slow down Kasey Norwood and the Chantilly Chargers (16-1). Chantilly defeated Washington-Lee (10-5) 18-2 in the opening round of the 2011 Northern Region Lacrosse Tournament Tuesday evening at Chantilly High School.

From the game’s opening possession until the last second ticked off the scoreboard, the Chargers controlled every phase of the game. 

“I actually think that we started off a little bit slow for us, but we came out strong and ready to go. We wanted it,” said Chantilly head coach Tina Plaugher.

Despite soggy field conditions, Chantilly wasted no time scoring. Senior Sonia Wang scored within the game’s first few minutes to give the Chargers a lead they wouldn’t surrender all evening long. Chantilly’s aggressive, fast-paced offense, visibly overwhelmed Washington-Lee, preventing them from being able to synch on offense.

Senior Kacey Norwood continued her season long dominance, scoring three of Chantilly’s first-half goals, en route to a six goal performance.  Norwood also dominated defensively, menacing Washington-Lee’s players all over the field.

“Kacey is consistently an amazing player. She has great stick work, she is able to read the field and plays, and she’s good both on attack and on defense,” remarked Plaugher on Norwood.

Norwood was aided by Sonia Wang’s two first-half goals and Shannon Strittmatter’s two assists.

Washington-Lee finally scored on sophomore Morgan Burns' goal with two minutes remaining in the first-half to make the score 8-1.

“It’s been a great season. Last year we lost 12 seniors. This year we only have one senior goalie and one senior defender. We’re a very young team and I expect a lot from them every game, every practice,” said Washington-Lee head coach Jenni Mac Intosh.

“I tell them to give 110 percent and they’ve really done that this season.”

Despite holding a seven point lead to start the second-half, Chantilly remained determined, scoring four goals within the half’s first five minutes. Six different Chargers scored in the second-half for a total of 10 second-half goals.

“I told them [Chantilly] at half-time that every game matters and every game is preparation for the next one,” said Plaugher.

Although the contest was seemingly out of reach for Washington-Lee, they never gave up. General defenders hustled up field to challenge and contest Chantilly’s attempts at goals. Junior Cathy Boryan’s goal with 17:30 remaining in the final half gave the Generals their second goal of the evening.

As the game came to a close, Chantilly emerged victorious with an 18-2 victory. For Washington-Lee, their season came to an end with the loss.

“We lost today but I think we can end the season with our heads held high,” said Mac Intosh post-game.