I had the pleasure of attending my first girls lacrosse game of 2016 on Friday when I watched Oak Hall host Benjamin.  I try to get to as many games as I can, but I am mostly limited to the Gainesville area (Go Gators!), so I was really excited when I saw this one on the schedule for Oak Hall. Of course, the big news around the state is that Vero Beach FINALLY lost an in-state game.  That’s the first time it’s happened since 2007!  Bishop Moore took down the Indians by a resounding final score of 14-6.  Does this mean we could have a new state champion on the girls’ side for the first time in a decade?  I don’t know, but, the presence of the thought is nice.  The 10 time state champions have elite talent and I have no doubt Coach Dean will have his players motivated for every single game remaining on the schedule.  Still, the other top teams in the state, like Benjamin, Barron Collier, Olympia, Lake Highland, Ponte Vedra, and now Bishop Moore, can smell blood in the water and that’s exciting to me. Now on to the game I actually attended. The game got off to a quick start as the teams traded goals.  It was 2-2 and then Benjamin jumped out to a 2 point lead behind goals from Jenna Byrne and Autumn Ryan only to have Oak Hall tie it right back up using goals from Emma Johnson and Halle Ebling.

Benjamin eventually gained a 7-5 advantage by utilizing the 1-2 punch of Ryan and Kylie Kempe.  That pair of Buccaneers excelled at the two-man game and most of the Benjamin offense was created using these two up top, often off a pick and roll or slip. Oak Hall kept answering, though.  At the end of the half, the score was tied at eight a piece due to Eagle goals from Ebling, Ansley Green, and Mason Yonge. The beginning of the second half was a completely different story.  There was some great back and forth action, but neither team could find the back of the net.  It wasn’t until 10 minutes into the second half that Benjamin’s Autumn Ryan scored the first goal.  Kempe followed it up a minute later to make it 10-8. But Oak Hall got the next two from Johnson and Green (off a Johnson assist) to tie the game for the fifth and final time. This is where the Buccaneer advantage at the draw circle really began to show.  All in all, the team from South Florida had 19 draw controls to the 9 of Oak Hall.  Kylie Kempe had 12 all by herself!  She made it look easy with her height and skill.  Benjamin head coach Sarah Burlingame called the draw the biggest factor in the game.

The duo of Kempe and Ryan rattled off three straight goals, two of them coming with a great pick/screen.  Benjamin had a 13-10 lead with less than five minutes remaining and the way that Kempe was controlling the draw made it seem like Oak Hall had no chance. The final score was 14-12.  It was an exciting one that Burlingame called a “grind” and a “battle.”  It was a joy to watch these two teams from different regions clash. Top performers for Benjamin were Kylie Kempe (6 G, 1 A, 12 DC), Autumn Ryan (6 G, 1 A, Lehigh signee) and Jenna Byrne (2 G, 7 GB, 3 DC).  Oak Hall had three players earn a hat-trick; Halle Ebling, Emma Johnson (Jacksonville commit), and Mason Yonge.  Oak Hall goalie Caroline Caputo also had a stellar game with 8 saves.