Wilson wins thriller over Twin Valley
Alexa Kairis scores the game-winning goal for the Bulldogs with 44 seconds left in regulation
HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS LACROSSE
In a rematch of the Berks Girl Lacrosse League final from 2023, Wilson was able to come out on top this time around by securing an 11-10 victory over Twin Valley with a last-minute goal.
Alexa Kairis, who scored a game-high five goals for the Bulldogs (2-0, 6-1), sprinted down the field after a faceoff and scored with just 44 seconds remaining in the game. Moments later, the Raiders could not get the ball downfield to send the game to overtime as the clock struck zero.
“It’s the best feeling in the entire world to do it for my team,” Kairis said of her game-winner. “It’s such a big win for us. Gets us set for the rest of our county games. I just love this game and love being able to do it for my team.”
Wilson did not get off to the strongest start as it trailed 3-0 to begin the game.
Anna Givens scored two goals before Amelia Wood scored the third as the Raiders (0-1, 1-3) looked to have all the momentum early on.
However, Kairis scored her first goal of the night in the last two minutes of the first quarter to get some momentum going in the Bulldogs’ favor.
The tides began to turn in the second quarter.
The Bulldogs scored seven unanswered goals by four players to take an 8-3 lead.
“I think it was just really us getting a handle on the drop control and gaining the advantage in that way,” Wilson coach Chelsea Rosiek said. “You know, just re-establishing who was on the circle and who was taking it and just switching some things up.”
Twin Valley had no answer on either end of the field as Wilson controlled the game in the second quarter.
“Cards, being carded,” Raiders coach Courtney Kaplan said on the second-quarter issues. “They had two, maybe three goals on our card. That has to be cleaned up and we have to adjust to those things. It happened on their side and we capitalized but we had too big of a deficit to climb out of there.”
After halftime, the Raiders began to find their stride once again after a 10-minute delay due to clock difficulties about three minutes into the quarter.
With 4:50 remaining in the third, Ellie Kaplan scored her first goal of the day.
Wilson’s Ainsley McClain an
swered back with a goal of her own before Kylie Duke scored two goals for the Raiders prior to the third quarter ending.
Bulldogs’ Mattie Keiser scored her third goal of the day with 7:05 left in the fourth to make it 10-6 before the Raiders started their run.
With 4:41 remaining, Hadley Munn scored twice within a minute to make it 10-8 before Wilson called a timeout to regroup.
The timeout proved helpful for Twin Valley as Givens scored yet again with 1:59 left.
Exactly a minute later, Kaplan tied the game up as the crowd erupted.
Despite the heroic second-half comeback, Kairis shut the door on the Raiders’ hopes seconds later by scoring the game-winning goal.
“I think that was definitely a redemption opportunity for her after we kind of let our timeout play implode,” Rosiek said of Kairis’ goal. “That just shows her ability and her mental toughness and just her fortitude and how she continually rises to the occasion.”
Even though it was a heartbreaking finish, Kaplan is confident her team will learn and come back better after the tough loss.
“I said, ‘I’m not even sad about it because we can learn so much from it’,” Kaplan said. “There were a lot of situations and scenarios that they were in that are good for them to experience now early on in the season so that when it really counts, they make the right play.”
For the Raiders, Givens ended the night with three goals. Kaplan and Munn each finished with two goals and two assists.
Wilson will look to build off of this hard-fought win as they head into the middle of the season.
“Amazing,” Kairis said on how her team feels at this point in the season. “Our team chemistry is amazing. It’s better than it’s ever been. We have so much love for each other and this game and I cannot wait to see where it takes us.”