Gritty Granville girls lacrosse goes down fighting against vaunted Vikings

GAHANNA — Six weeks ago at Columbus Academy's Hondros Field, the scoreboard read Home 17, Visitors 3.

Tuesday night, on the same turf, it said Home 12, Visitors 11 with just eight minutes left.

The home team, in both cases, was Academy's perennial state powerhouse girls lacrosse team, which has three state titles and three state runnerup finishes under its belt. The visitors were up and coming Granville, which during the last month and a half, transformed itself from also ran into Central Ohio threat.

Despite the earlier result, and despite being a player down the entire second half due to receiving four first-half yellow cards, the seventh-seeded Blue Aces pushed the second-seeded Vikings to the end before falling 15-11 in a Division II regional semifinal.

Junior midfielder Amelia Sarap tied Sophie Shaw's school record with eight goals for Granville (13-8), which eventually ran out of gas with the one-player disadvantage over the final 25 minutes. But the Blue Aces didn't give up their 10-game winning streak without a fight. There were tears from Granville's four seniors, but smiles from everyone, knowing they had left everything on the pitch.

"The last 10 wins, they've shown a lot of grit," coach Tara Parsley said. "We're worn out and tired, but we're going to keep pushing. Against Bexley (the program's first-ever second-round win), we played in high heat, but we played like it wasn't going to be our last game. It was a tough week this week, with final exams, but they kept it together. I'm proud of the girls and what they were able to do."

The Blue Aces weren't going to let being a player down hold them back Tuesday, even against the talented, deep Vikings.

"We just had to work together and communicate," senior attack Clare Hotchkiss said. "Encourage each other. We played so hard, and put everything into it."

After Academy (14-3) ran off the last three goals of the first half, taking an 8-5 lead, it began the second with a player advantage. But the Blue Aces came out firing. Goals by Sarap, Hotchkiss and sophomore midfielder Gabby Graves suddenly pulled them into an 8-8 tie and forced an Academy timeout. Then, two more Sarap scores, including a lefthanded one, pushed the visitors up 10-9 with 15:52 to play.

The Vikings turned up the heat and led 12-10, but Sarap scored again with 8:04, keeping Granville within 12-11. However, Academy, encouraged by its vocal home crowd, finally put the game away with three consecutive goals.

Granville showed it meant business from the start, with Sarap scoring on a rush for an early 1-0 lead. The Vikings looked to be taking charge and went up 5-3. But Sarap scored an unlikely two shorthanded goals, including one with a two-player disadvantage, for a 5-5 tie. In a two-goal shift, sophomore midfielder Bella Rockwell, who had an earlier score, found the net with a shot that would have gotten the visitors within 7-6. But it was disallowed for being a "dangerous shot," and Academy took an 8-5 halftime lead.

"We lost the last time to them really bad, but we came back and showed them what we're worth," Hotchkiss said. "We kept possession, kept them frustrated and played physical with them, which they're not used to. We forced turnovers, and our defense was so amazing."

Parsley said the emphasis on defense in practice eventually paid off in the 10-game winning streak, after a 3-7 start. The 13 wins was a school record.

"In the off-season, they practice their shooting, but when we get them all together, we focus on defense," Parsley said. "Our defense kept us in a lot of games. Sometimes, little turnovers hurt us, and today, it was fouls. But we were still sliding well, covering each other, being more active and taking chances."

Granville will graduate Hotchkiss, midfielder Mallory Lindsay and defenders Lia Coplin and Halle Brooks. "It's been a great four years, and as seniors, it feels really good, making history," Hotchkiss said.

The Blue Aces look poised to break through next season, what with Sarap and nine classmates returning as seniors, and some sophomores ready to show what they can do.

Academy showed that it takes balance. On Tuesday, Sophia Slootsky and Avery Mitchell each had three goals, while Megan Klingerman, Evie Gee and Sophia MacDonald added two apiece. The Vikings have nine seniors.

"That's what I would like our scorebook to look like," Parsley said. "We have a lot of talent, and a lot of talent that didn't get to show what they're capable of. Hopefully, that will change."

dweidig@gannett.com

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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Gritty Granville girls lacrosse goes down fighting against Academy