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Lady Bucs Upend Scots As Regular Season Winds Down

Written by Lee Roggenburg on . Posted in .
On a beautiful night in Boca, two of the better ladies’ teams in the area met when neither was at full strength.  Injuries and graduation have taken their toll on both Benjamin and St. Andrew’s, but you never would have known it by the high quality of play, one more testament to the growth of lacrosse in the Sunshine State.  Admittedly, FLN is more focused on the boys’ game (to a certain extent the boys are more voracious readers of our site), but the educated fan can really appreciate the subtleties of the decision making on the field.  Much like basketball, I noticed one player take an intentional penalty to stop an open shot to the goal – however, in the girls’ game there was no contact – it was a bit like a crease violation.  This young lady simply stepped into a known penalty area in front of the goal to halt the shooter’s advance.  The plan worked as the shot after the restart was stopped and the ball headed the other way.  There were other examples of these types of cerebral play, but I don’t want to bore those who know the game much better than I. The Scots jumped out to an early 2-0 lead with goals from Kylie MacDonald and Emma Braden.  Benjamin answered with three straight goals from Kylie Kempe (Johns Hopkins), Ashley Turner (Ohio State) and Jenna Byrne (Rutgers).  The score was tied at five late in the first half when Kempe won three straight draws which led to scores and a resultant 8-5 Benjamin lead at the break. The second half was up and down lacrosse and much like the first.  Great goals, assists and defensive plays by players on both teams.  At the end, Benjamin prevailed, 17-12. The Scots ended the regular season 7-10, but in that figure were five losses by one or two goals.  This is a good team which looks to make some noise in the future.  Coach Mike Skonieczki noted “I’m very pleased with tonight’s loss to Benjamin.  Although I hate to lose, Benjamin is well coached and their players have grit which is key.” As we head to the playoffs, Benjamin (8-7) could play the spoiler’s role.  Despite the injuries and the lack of varsity experience of many of the players, the Bucs recently defeated defending state champion Bartram Trail, 11-9 and seem to be meshing with this late season lineup.  American Heritage Delray/Boca and Vero Beach remain the favorites this year, but April madness has produced many surprises in the past.  Stay tuned. Stats: Benjamin:  Kylie Kempe 3 goals, Ashley Turner 6 goals and Jenna Byrne 1 goal. St. Andrew’s:  Emma Braden 1 goal, 6 assists; Ally Ellerstein 4 goals; Kylie MacDonald 5 goals.