FORT MILL, S.C. — The Nation Ford Falcons defeated the Catawba Ridge Copperheads 11-6 in a girls’ lacrosse match played under the lights Thursday evening.
Nation Ford (2-8 overall, 1-1 Region 3-5A) jumped to an early lead, with Caitlyn Stolarek opening the scoring, quickly followed by a goal from Canaan Ross to put the Falcons up 2-0 in the first quarter. Stolarek added another goal to make it 3-0 before the Copperheads (7-3 overall, 0-2 Region 3-5A) capitalized on a goalie error to narrow the gap to 3-1 with 1:20 remaining in the opening frame.
The Falcons’ offense continued to click in the second quarter. Ava Tettambel scored to make it 4-2, and Ross followed up with another goal to extend the lead to 5-2. Catawba Ridge responded, closing the gap to 5-3, but Nation Ford answered with a goal from Ross, assisted by Stolarek, making it 6-3. The Copperheads scored again on a fast break turnover, catching the Nation Ford defense out of position, to make it 6-4. Ross scored her third goal of the game with 3:09 left in the half, but a late defensive breakdown allowed Catawba Ridge to score, ending the half with Nation Ford still leading 7-5.
Tettambel opened the third quarter with a Nation Ford goal, increasing the lead to 8-5. Despite a yellow card to Stolarek, putting the Falcons down a player, Nation Ford successfully killed the penalty. Catawba Ridge managed to close the gap to 8-6 midway through the third quarter, prompting a Nation Ford timeout. Ross then scored another goal, giving the Falcons a 9-6 lead heading into the final quarter.
The Nation Ford defense stepped up in the fourth quarter, keeping the Copperheads on the outside and limiting their scoring opportunities. Goalie Sophia Bujoreanu made several key saves for the Falcons. Play was briefly stopped early in the fourth quarter due to an injury to Nation Ford player. Following the restart, Tettambel assisted Adria Kahre for a Nation Ford goal, making it 10-6. Stolarek scored the final goal for the Falcons with 6:34 remaining, assisted by Ross, bringing the score to 11-6.
Nation Ford maintained their defensive pressure for the remainder of the game, securing the 11-6 victory.
Thursday Night Roundup
In other lacrosse action Thursday night, the Nation Ford boys’ team defeated Catawba Ridge 13-0 on the road. Nation Ford improves to 7-3 overall and 1-1 in Region 3-5A. The Copperheads fall to 4-5 overall and 0-2 in the region.
Meanwhile, the Fort Mill boys’ lacrosse team dropped to 7-4 overall with their road loss to Clover. The final score was 9-1 in favor of Clover. Fort Mill is now 1-1 in Region 3-5A, while Clover improves to 7-1 overall and 2-0 in Region 3-5A action.
