Article Text

McLean’s girls lacrosse team rebounded from a regular-season-ending loss to Yorktown by defeating rival Langley 8-5 in the opening round of the Liberty District tournament on Friday, May 15.

The Highlanders set the tone with two quick goals, then relied on a disciplined defense led by goalie Brooke Buursink to deny the Saxons. McLean added another goal before the first quarter ended, taking a 3-0 lead.

“We worked really hard to fix our mistakes from the last regular season game to hopefully come out on top,” sophomore defender Bryn Sandberg said.

McLean struck again just 14 seconds into the second quarter after winning the draw. The Highlanders settled into a more defensive approach before converting an eight-meter opportunity to extend their advantage.

Langley adjusted following a timeout and answered with two consecutive goals, but McLean still carried a 5-2 lead into halftime.

“We focused on each quarter individually and kept the mindset of the score being 0-0,” junior attacker Sarah Winston said. “We try to keep possession and always make the best passes we can, knowing we can drop back into defense if something goes wrong.”

The Highlanders regained firm control in the third quarter, adding two goals while limiting Langley to one. McLean dominated possession through the midfield and prevented the Saxons from creating further chances before the period ended.

Langley narrowed the margin with two goals in the fourth quarter, but McLean responded after a series of timeouts and tactical discussions. One final Highlanders goal secured the 8-5 win and a place in the next round.

The victory set up another meeting with Yorktown, the team that defeated McLean in its final regular-season game.

“Our next game is Yorktown and even though we lost, we are still improving and practicing every day,” Winston said. “This is the furthest anyone has made it on the team, so we are all really excited and just want to play our game.”