New Albany and Upper Arlington set for girls lacrosse state semifinals
At the time, it seemed like an inconsequential three-goal run. Katie Kaucheck highlighted the stretch with a goal and an assist in the final 1:06 seconds of the first half, helping the New Albany girls lacrosse team create a six-goal lead.
It turns out the Eagles, who led by as many as nine goals in the second half, needed those three goals, as they held off visiting Olentangy Liberty 14-11 in the Division I, Region 1 final on Wednesday.
“I think at the end of the half, we had all the momentum,” said New Albany coach Elaina Enich. “Really, what it comes down to at the end of the day is just having fun with each other and being out there playing loose and free. With those quick goals at the end (of the first half), that’s what they were doing. That was the difference.”
Kaucheck finished with five goals and two assists to lead the top-seeded Eagles (19-2), who advanced to their sixth consecutive state tournament and 13th overall.
“They were pressuring out and we were able to get it past them,” Kaucheck said of the flurry at the end of the first half. “I think we really kept our composure.”
Ellie Mcclelland had three goals, an assist and six draw controls for New Albany, which will play in a state semifinal against Massillon Jackson (20-1)
Tuesday at a neutral site.
New Albany outscored secondseeded Liberty 11-2 for the more than 30 minutes of game action bridging the first and second halves.
But the Patriots (14-5), who made their first regional final since 2018, made a change on the draw with Brenna Heffernan and it created a spark. Liberty scored five goals in a span of 3:13 to pull within the final margin.
Makena Harrington and Isabelle Pohmer scored two goals apiece during the rally. Harrington led the Patriots with four goals and Bird had three goals and an assist.
—Michael Rich
Upper Arlington 17, Dublin Coffman 7
Camryn Callaghan’s seven goals, four of which came in a 10-minute span of the second half to blow open a close game, led the host and top-seeded Golden Bears past the secondseeded and defending state champion Shamrocks in the Division I, Region 3 final.
Rian Adkins added three goals and Callaghan contributed two assists for UA (21-0), which will face Cincinnati Sycamore (19-3) on Tuesday at a neutral site. Liz Schumacher, Lilly Stelzer and Kampbell Stone also scored two goals apiece.
The Bears avenged an 11-9 loss to Coffman in last year’s regional final, which denied them a chance at their sixth consecutive state championship.
—Dave Purpura