Source: USA Today High School Sports
Author: Dan O'Meara / John Stormzand
For much of the first half, Farmington Hills Mercy and Walled Lake Northern were pitted against each other in an evenly matched lacrosse battle and were deadlocked on the scoreboard Wednesday.
That changed quickly and completely as the Marlins took charge and went on to win the Division 2 girls regional semifinal game at Farmington High School, 17-9.
“In lacrosse it can change either way so fast,” Mercy coach Lindsay Hoyt said. “In the last few games, the girls have really enjoyed being out here playing the game.
“That’s what it’s all about in high school. Trophies are nice, but they have to love the game. The girls have been loving the game lately and playing as a team.”
A trophy is what the Marlins (9-5) will attempt to win Friday when they play Dexter at 6 p.m. for the regional championship at Farmington.
The Dreadnaughts will be a new opponent for Mercy, which had grown accustomed to facing Catholic League rival and perennial regional champ Livonia Ladywood in the final.
However, Dexter is the team that eliminated the Blazers, who were the state runners-up last year, 13-12, and bounced Ann Arbor Skyline from the tournament in the other semifinal Wednesday, 14-7.
“We were really hoping for a Ladywood-Mercy final, because that’s what we like to play,” Hoyt said. “It’s fun; it’s exciting for both teams to compete at that level together. But we’re just excited to be there and have good competition.
“Dexter has had a good seaon, looking at who they’ve defeated. It’s going to be a challenging game. We have to play a consistent game and have good, tight defense.
The score in the Wednesday semifinal was tied at 5-5 when junior Lilly Blake put the Marlins ahead to stay with 91/2 minutes left in the first half.
That started an offensive surge in which Mercy scored seven of the last eight goals to take a 12-6 lead into halftime.
Blaker led all scorers with eight goals. Senior Brooke Ottaway, who was unstoppable on several long runs at the opposing net, had four goals and three assists.
Sophomore Evie Drukker contributed two goals for the Marlins; juniors Caitlin Somerville and Chandler Pincheck and sophomore Ciara Lopus added one apiece.
Mercy had the better ball movement and was better able to maneuver for open shots than the Knights were, especially Blake and Ottoway.
“As we saw today, our passing and team effort are really what helps us to get the wins, because we play as a team,” Hoyt said. “We have star players, but I would say it’s playing together and looking for the goal and not one person.
“I give credit to my girls for their hard work, the stick skills they show on the field and the passing they do together.
“We’ve been working on our transitions to make sure we have control, and we’re using body positioning to our advantage in a safe way.”
Mercy went scoreless for the first 10 minutes of the second half, but Northern scored just one goal during that stretch of time. The Marlins scored the next three for a 15-7 lead and stayed in control of the game down the stretch.
Senior Lea Boreland scored four goals for the Knights. She had three of Northern’s first four and was limited to just one after that, none in the second half. Rachel Miller scored two goals, Sierra Chadwick, Mindy Carmack and Grace Hunt one apiece.
“We’ve seen some dips in our game whether it’s a breakdown on defense or the offense not making the right pass or trying to force a shot,” Hoyt said of the lull to start the second half.
“We called a timeout and talked to the girls about how we finished the first half. You have to play two halves. It’s not about one; it’s about both.
“We talked about playing pretty lacrosse, making the beautiful passes and not just charging it down every time for the shot. It’s a matter of doing good set-ups and working to get the nice goal.”
Mercy also had solid defensive play from Mary Allor, Mia Bowen, Erin Gormley, Bella Shrader, Somerville and Jensen Pecora. They marked the opposing attackers tightly and didn’t allow many good looks at the net.
“There’s not a senior back there,” Hoyt said. “They’re working hard and hustling. They have good body positioning. They’re working on their communication and trying to stop what they can.”
If the Marlins win the regional Friday, they will play the Cranbrook Kingswood-Country Day winner in a state semifinal game at 5 p.m. Wednesday at Okemos. The state final is Saturday, June 6, at Rockford.
“This is what we’ve worked for all season,” Hoyt said. “Our goal is to go as far as we can in the state tournament. Our girls played well in this game and now we’re in the (regional) final and excited.”