HRV GOT REVENGE against Lincoln after losing to the Cardinals earlier this season. The Eagles won 11-8. At above left, Savanna Brentlinger (front, white jersey) fights for a ground ball while Erin Mayer backs her up.
HRV GOT REVENGE against Lincoln after losing to the Cardinals earlier this season. The Eagles won 11-8. At above left, Savanna Brentlinger (front, white jersey) fights for a ground ball while Erin Mayer backs her up.
A great season for the HRV girls lacrosse team got even greater Tuesday night in Hood River when the Eagles (10-3, 8-3 league) defeated the formidable Lincoln Cardinals (8-6, 7-3 league), moving the teams into a tie for second place in the Portland League.
After losing 9-6 to the Cardinals in a back-and-forth-game earlier this season in Portland, the Eagles pulled out the win after another difficult game with Lincoln. The two teams exchanged blows in the first half — including a goal in the first 12 seconds that was scored by HRV midfielder Daisy Dolan — resulting in a 4-4 tie after 25 minutes, but the Eagles poured it on the second and got the 11-8 win.
“The Lincoln game was the one we’ve been looking forward to since we first played them at the beginning of the season,” said HRV Head Coach Andrew McElderry. “We were well-matched. Thanks to Daisy Dolan, we were able to come out hot right out of the gate. Most of the game, though, was a back and forth contest… as Assistant (Coach) Bekah (Rottenberg) pointed out, it was a game that came down to the team that made fewer errors and we prevailed.”
The win also means HRV will head to the playoffs for the second year in a row, although it is unknown who the Eagles will play. McElderry said that this year’s playoffs are different with a two-tier system that includes a Gold and a Navy bracket. The Eagles, who were ranked 11th out of 40 teams following the win over Lincoln, will either wind up at the bottom of the Gold bracket or the top of the Navy bracket, McElderry said, adding that this year’s playoffs should “create a more competitive and rewarding experience for all.”
In the game against Lincoln, Abby Bartles and Erin Mayer combined to produce half of HRV’s scoring with both players putting up a hat trick and Bartles adding an assist. Savanna Brentlinger was next with two goals and Dolan, Blair Holman, and Kat McElderry each added one, along with assists for McElderry and Dolan. Riley Bauer and Victoria Kohner-Flanagan also had assists.
Although nearly every HRV player had a ground ball against the Cardinals, Bauer and Dolan led with four each, while Bauer had a team-high three caused turnovers and Dolan won four draws Tuesday evening. Ella Rand had “another good game in the cage,” saving eight of Lincoln’s 16 shots (50 percent).
The team followed that up with a 15-6 drubbing of Central Catholic (10-3, 8-3) on the road Thursday. Going into the game, McElderry said the Rams were “a complete unknown” to HRV, but the Eagles showed up and handled business, getting frequent opportunities on offense with 27 total shots.
The McElderry sisters combined for a team-high eight goals (four apiece) and Kat had an assist. Alex Willis, a freshman pulled up from the JV squad, impressed with two goals and an assist. Ellen Hudon had the same stats and Brentlinger had two goals as well. Bartles rounded out the scoring with a goal. Lauren Orr added an assist and Mayer had a team-high three assists as the Eagles did a good job moving the ball. Ground balls, draw controls, and caused turnovers were spread pretty evenly throughout and Rand once again stood tall in net, stopping 10 of 16 shots (63 percent).
HRV will have its last game of the regular season Monday at 7 p.m. in Hood River, which will be a league rematch with Central Catholic. The first round of the playoffs will likely occur the following week; check an upcoming edition of the News for updates.
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