By Thomas Grant Jr.
The quest for a second straight state title is taking a familiar path for Lexington girls’ lacrosse.
For the second straight year, the Lady Wildcats defeated the same two opponents to repeat as Class 5A Division I Lower State champion. A 14-1 rout of Wando in the playoff opener set up a Monday rematch with archrival River Bluff.
Much like the previous seven meetings and recent matchups in various sports, the Lady Wildcats once again prevailed over the Lady Gators. The 12-6 win was their 14th straight victory and set up another rematch in the state final.
“It’s awesome,” Lexington head coach Tiffany Tortorello said. “It’s very exciting. The girls have worked so hard for it and I think a lot of people counted us out right at the beginning of the season just because we lost a lot of our upperclassmen. Seniors that graduated who were superstrong. So, I feel like it’s awesome to see these girls actually put the work in and deserve to be there.”
Lexington jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first quarter. After Payton Hart put the Lady Gators on the board with 2:50 left, senior midfielder Lily Sundell scored the second of her four goals to put the Lady Wildcats up 4-2.
Before fellow senior McKenna Bowen achieved her “hat trick”, Sundell reached it just before halftime with a net shot to put the Lady Wildcats up 6-2 at halftime.
The second half featured a series of runs by both teams. The determined Lady Gators scored two goals to get within 6-5 with 2:05 left in the third quarter.
In a span of under two minutes, Lexington put the game out of reach. It started with Bowen’s first goal, followed by a driving shot by Libby Headley, then Sundell’s fourth goal of the game with 6.6 seconds left in the third quarter and Bowen adding her second goal to open the fourth quarter.
River Bluff’s final goal by Lily Sadler was answered seconds later by Bowen’s third goal to make it 11-6. Freshman Anne Jane Earley closed out the scoring with less than four minutes left.
Awaiting the Lady Wildcats (15-2) at W.C. Hawkins Stadium at 3:30 p.m. Saturday once again is Spartanburg. Lexington defeated the Lady Vikings to claim their first state championship, but fell to them 17-10 on Feb. 27.
Despite the loss, Lady Gators’ head coach Shannon Aikens took great pride in the team’s progress since she took over in 2023. With three teams reaching the state semifinals in Division I and II, Aikens believes Region 4-5A has developed into a formidable region.
“My girls showed up and I think we gave them a really good battle,” she said. “Surprised them a little bit in the beginning, but that’s a really strong side and what Coach Tiff has done, those girls should be really, really proud to be able to come in here and kind of maintain their victory.
“But I’m super proud of my team. I think we’ve given a ton of heart and hustle all year and I walk away as a really proud coach.”
Gators fall to Wando
The winningest season in program history ended in the Class 5A Division I Lower State semifinals for River Bluff.
Last Friday, the Gators fell 11-7 at home to Wando.
It was a closely-fought first half with the two teams exchanging leads. After the Warriors took a 6-5 lead at halftime, it dominated the second half in holding River Bluff to just two goals.
The Gators finished the season with a 15-2 overall record.
Photos by Thomas Grant Jr. – Lexington midfielder Lily Sundell had 4 goals.
