Lone Peak girls lacrosse surges late to beat Wasatch, reach Division B championship
The Lone Peak girls lacrosse team celebrates after the 17-13 Knight win over Wasatch in the Division B state semifinals at Bingham High School in South Jordan on Tuesday, May 25, 2021.
The Lone Peak defense blocks the way during the 17-13 Knight win over Wasatch in the Division B state semifinals at Bingham High School in South Jordan on Tuesday, May 25, 2021.
Lone Peak sophomore Maddie Potvin takes a shot during the 17-13 Knight win over Wasatch in the Division B state semifinals at Bingham High School in South Jordan on Tuesday, May 25, 2021.
Lone Peak sophomore Maddie Potvin (3) catches a pass during the 17-13 Knight win over Wasatch in the Division B state semifinals at Bingham High School in South Jordan on Tuesday, May 25, 2021.
Lone Peak and Wasatch players battle for the ball during the 17-13 Knight win over the Wasps in the Division B state semifinals at Bingham High School in South Jordan on Tuesday, May 25, 2021.
Lone Peak and Wasatch players battle for the ball during the 17-13 Knight win over the Wasps in the Division B state semifinals at Bingham High School in South Jordan on Tuesday, May 25, 2021.
Lone Peak junior Brooklyn Fillmore takes a shot during the 17-13 Knight win over Wasatch in the Division B state semifinals at Bingham High School in South Jordan on Tuesday, May 25, 2021.
Lone Peak freshman Kacee Kelley takes a shot during the 17-13 Knight win over Wasatch in the Division B state semifinals at Bingham High School in South Jordan on Tuesday, May 25, 2021.
Lone Peak sophomore Maddie Potvin takes a shot during the 17-13 Knight win over Wasatch in the Division B state semifinals at Bingham High School in South Jordan on Tuesday, May 25, 2021.
Lone Peak head coach Weslie Lundell (right) talks to her team during the 17-13 Knight win over Wasatch in the Division B state semifinals at Bingham High School in South Jordan on Tuesday, May 25, 2021.
Every time the No. 11-seeded Lone Peak girls lacrosse team had taken the lead in the second half, No. 2-seed Wasatch had answered.
The two teams traded goals as the time ticked down in Tuesday’s Division B semifinal contest at Bingham High School in South Jordan as both the Knights and the Wasps fought to keep their seasons alive.
With under nine minutes to play, however, one squad put together the combination of offense and defense it needed to create some separation.
This time it was the underdogs who made the big plays.
Lone Peak avenged an early loss to Wasatch as it scored four straight goals, then maintained the lead to the end as the Knights got the 17-13 victory and advanced to the Division B title game.
“It was a really hard game,” Lone Peak junior defender Kate Whiting said. “I really felt like we really played really well in our transitions. I could tell a lot of us were nervous. As a team, it’s taken us a while to get to where we are. I think we were all just so hyped up. But in the end, none of us were nervous when it was tied. We just came to play.”
Knight head coach Weslie Lundell said she felt like her girls came in more prepared than they were when the Wasps beat Lone Peak, 13-11, in March.
“We didn’t play as much of a team that day,” Lundell said. “But we felt like we were the better team all season so we knew that if it came down to us playing them, it was gonna be a battle. We felt like we were conditioned and we worked hard, but we knew that they were going to work hard to beat us as well. We looked at their stats and who we needed to zone in on, then the girls executed.”
Whiting said that getting the late offensive push was amazing to watch.
“It’s nice to have a cushion as a defender,” Whiting said. “For me, the girls on draw and on circle, I trust them with my whole heart. I had a lot of comfort and trust in my team, knowing that we were going to be OK. I just knew that we were here to play our own game and we were ready.”
Lone Peak got a pair of big goals from sophomore Maddie Potvin to spark the late push.
“Maddie has been our leader all season and I’m really glad I get her for two more years,” Lundell said. “She attacks when I ask her to and she also looks for the passes when she needs to, so she’s a huge asset to the team. But I think every goal today was a critical goal so they’re all playmakers.”
The Knights also goals down the stretch from sophomore Lauren Siri and junior Julia Gilmore, while the Lone Peak defense stood tall.
Seeing her team finish strong in the semifinals was rewarding for Lundell as she thought about what the Knights had gone through this year.
“We made two critical changes to our lineup about a month and a half ago, and it completely changed the feel of our team,” Lundell said. “They finally started playing as a team. They finally started thinking about what we were doing wrong and what we needed to change. We lost three of our seniors to injuries or other circumstances, and it really made them have to step up and fill in those spots. And they’ve done it. They’ve completely filled in those roles and taken on what they need to do.”
Lone Peak will now go up against a familiar opponent with the Division B title on the line, since American Fork (the No. 5 seed) upset No. 1-seeded Riverton in a thriller, 21-20, earlier on Tuesday.
“The fact that we’re actually here, that we pulled it together to be here, it made me start crying on the field,” Whiting said. “It just shows how much we’ve worked and all our hard work to be where we are.”
Lundell believes the growth of her squad gives them a good shot, even though American Fork beat the Knights twice earlier in the year.
“The girls all know each other since we live so close, so it’s going to be battle for sure but I think we’re ready,” Lundell said. “The things that we’ve changed weren’t there the last time we played them. I have no doubt that we can do it.”
Lone Peak and American Fork are scheduled to play in the Division B title game at Layton High School in Layton on Friday at 5 p.m.