The Lake Orion Girls? Varsity Lacrosse team took on Waterford United on May 12, and thanks to some swift, exciting play near the end of the game, the Dragons eked out a tie against the Waterford team.
The first half saw the Dragons score three quick goals, while allowing Waterford only one. According to Dragons coaches Debbie and Bill Booth, ‘Waterford was an easily frustrated team, and their frustration was beginning to impair their judgement, with dropped balls and a sloppy defense.?
However, the lull in Waterford’s skill was short-lived. They came back swinging, putting away three goals, tying the score 14:45 left in the half, and taking the lead a minute later.
The Dragons pushed back strong, but despite a number of solid opportunities simply could not put the ball in the net. Finally, with a good amount of strong-arming, the Dragons literally rolled a ball into the Waterford goal to tie the game, 4-4, with 9:38 left in the first half.
From there the Dragons tailed Waterford, constantly tying the game after letting in goal after goal. Despite Waterford giving their best effort, scoring two more times in the first half, the Dragons rose time and time again to match the aggressiveness of their opponents.
While the first half would end 6-5 in Waterford’s favor, the Dragons score quickly in the second.
Then, in the final two minutes in the game, Waterford took the an 11-10 lead against the ladies in green and white, and with Lake Orion’s offense seemingly diluted by the game’s end, hope for a Lake Orion victory looked slim.
With less than a minute left in the game, Senior Nicole Blovet took a face-off centerfield and streaked downfield, outrunning Waterford’s guards. Rounding the net as the defenders closed in, she shot low and outside as silence hit the crowd and the net bulged, indicating the goal with nine seconds left in the game.
The Dragons held off their defenders for the final moments of the game, preventing the loss and finishing 11-11.
The Varsity Girls? Lacrosse team played again on May 14 against Saginaw Heritage, taking a decisive victory, 16-3, and improving their record to 8-4-1. Paige Hammerl led the scoring with four goals, closely followed by Ronnie Booth and Jessica Smude with three goals each. Junior Kaileen Tweedie and senior Nicole Blovet, and sophomores Miranda Lieblein and Melissa O’Keefe all scored once.
Goaltender Tiffany Smrtnik saved eight shots on goal.
The Dragons played once more on Monday night against Clarkston for the Oakland Athletic Association Division 2 Championship. The ladies put up a solid fight, but lost the game 19-4.
The Dragons will play again tonight (Wednesday) at Grosse Pointe North, staring at 5:30 p.m.