CHESAPEAKE CITY — The Trojans erupted for 11 first-half goals, including three in a row in the opening three minutes, on the way to a commanding 16-5 victory in girls lacrosse April 7 at Bohemia Manor.
It was the locals’ second win of the season against a Cecil County opponent, and already they have matched last year’s win total.
Sophomore Jane Cleary scored a career-high six goals, and assisted on two others.
Freshman Abby Gallo netted four goals, won five draw controls and scooped up seven ground balls.
Liza Loller (two assists), Mary Jane Joiner (one assist) and freshman Allee Hall each contributed two goals for all-underclassman KCHS (2-4).
Coach Aly McDonald said this game was “a turning point of not just rushing the ball towards the goal but using calculated approaches and strategy to be successful.”
At the other end of the field, freshman keeper Abigail Strayer turned in the best performance of her young career with 12 saves.
Kent County scored first and never trailed.
The host Eagles (2-4) closed to within one goal, 3-2, with 5 minutes, 22 seconds remaining in the opening frame after Dani Richardson and Hallie Stansfield found the back of the net.
Their guests from Kent County High School responded with a run of five unanswered goals that bridged the first and second quarters for a comfortable 8-2 lead with about six minutes remaining in the half.
By intermission, the spread was 11-3.
Stansfield finished with a hat trick. She led Bo Manor in scoring last year as a sophomore with 38 goals and 42 points.
Two days later, the Trojans took it on the proverbial chin at defending South Bayside Conference champion Stephen Decatur, 18-3.
Still, this was a step up from last year when Class 2A Decatur crushed Class 1A Kent County, 23-0, and the year before, 19-1, and the year before that, 17-0.
The Seahawks (4-2) scored eight goals in the opening quarter, but were limited to no more than four in each of the succeeding quarters.
McDonald singled out Savanna Reynolds, Grace Gerstung and Tess Fuchs for playing “some of the best defense I have seen from the team in the two years I have been coaching.”
Despite the score, McDonald characterized the April 9 game in Berlin as “a huge win” for the Trojans, who competed well and put a few goals on the board thanks to Gallo (one goal), Joiner (two goals) and Cleary (one assist).
“We viewed this game as a positive …,” McDonald told The Evening Enterprise in a text message.
“We have some things to work on,” she said, “but we are growing with each and every game we play.”
WHAT’S NEXT: Kent County travels to Cambridge-South Dorchester on Monday, April 14 for its third game in a row on the road, before returning home Wednesday, April 16 against Class 2A Parkside. Both games start at 5 p.m.
