Apr. 2—MORGANTOWN — The University and Morgantown High girls' lacrosse teams produced an instant classic on Wednesday night at Pony Lewis field as the crosstown rivals battled to a one-goal finish.
UHS took the upper hand with the go-ahead goal with four minutes left in the contest as Adrienne Rager scored the game-winner to keep her team unbeaten on the year (6-0).
MHS (3-4) battled back from a 4-0 deficit in the first half to take the lead in the third quarter but stalled down the stretch, dropping its fourth game of the season.
The Hawks were led by Anna McBee and Carly Greathouse, who each scored two goals, while six different players scored at least one goal.
MHS saw three goals each from Natalia Martinez and Bailley Howell to pace the offense.
"Sometimes our girls can get in their heads and get a little nervous playing with the lead, " UHS head coach Hailey Mostacciuolo said. "We knew coming into the game it would be a fight. Morgantown is a strong team with a vocal sideline, and in a rivalry game, you have to be prepared to face some adversity. This was a big game for us."
The Hawks opened the game on the front foot, scoring four goals in the opening quarter without conceding one.
MHS earned a penalty shot at the 8:40 mark of the second quarter but UHS keeper Lucy Lambert made the save to preserve the shutout.
But 60 seconds later, MHS opened the floodgates as Martinez broke the ice for her team with a low shot that found the back of the net.
Four minutes passed before Howell added the second for the hosts, then Emily Leshko scored a third for the Mohigans 60 seconds later, cutting the UHS lead to 4-3.
UHS nearly scored to close the half, but MHS keeper Mylee Cooper made a point-blank save to keep the score at 4-3 entering halftime.
Martinez knotted the game at four 30 seconds into the third quarter, then Howell gave MHS its first lead with its fifth unanswered goal, 5-4.
Martinez capped the run at six with a penalty conversion at the 8:02 mark of the third. McBee answered back with her second goal to stop the bleeding and cut the deficit to one, 6-5.
Ninety seconds ticked away before Greathouse tied the game at six with a goal after an impressive offensive set by the Hawks that freed up space in the middle.
"Fluidity is essential for our offense, " Mostacciuolo said. "That's why we have so many plays drawn up for the team, with different options for each. When we work as a team, we are better. But once we start playing our own games individually, we find ourselves in trouble."
Howell captured the lead back for MHS 90 seconds before the end of the third, and Cooper produced another huge save to maintain the lead, 7-6, heading into the final frame.
Greathouse added her second goal to tie the game at seven one minute into the fourth but neither team would score for the next seven minutes.
That's when Rager scored the game-winner. She got loose from her defender and was found with a pass as she cut to the face of the goal. Rager caught the pass cleanly and tucked the ball away to put UHS ahead 8-7.
The Mohigans had multiple offensive possessions in the final few minutes but failed to convert, and the Hawks headed back to Baker's Ridge with a huge victory.
"It's an amazing win for us, " Mostacciuolo said. "It's a big deal beating our crosstown rivals, and we are on a six-game win streak now. We've beaten some strong teams, and tonight was a good performance to build on."
