BROOMFIELD — Draw controls can be vital in girls lacrosse, and a short respite for Holy Family in a game that otherwise saw the Tigers struggle in that category made all the difference Friday against Rampart.
The Tigers trailed the visiting Rams by a goal late in the third quarter, then won two consecutive draw controls to convert two quick scores. The six-goal run that ensued helped propel them to an 11-9 victory during frigid conditions at Mike G. Gabriel Stadium.
The two-goal turnaround lasted all of 12 seconds.
“I think it really increased our momentum,” senior midfielder Sarah Vail said. “Having possession really helps us as a team and we can settle it down and get great shots. I think sharing the ball to our attack really helped us out.”
Vail proved a menace to Rampart all night, sinking five goals while assisting three more. Junior attackers Ali Arambula and Kendall Jones contributed two more goals apiece.
The Tigers began the game a bit frozen and struggled to match the speed and intensity of a physical Rampart team. The Rams busted out to a 3-0 lead through the first four minutes of play before Holy Family’s offense and defense managed to thaw out.
Throughout much of the contest, Rampart’s strengths lay in winning draw controls and ground balls. The Tigers, on the other hand, excelled most at defense near the crease and on breakaway scores. The large, hammering snowflakes that the players endured at the beginning of the game and in spurts throughout didn’t help matters along.
“When your sticks get wet, it’s really hard to throw and catch,” Vail said. “As soon as everything started to thaw out towards the end of the game and it got a little nicer, we were able to kind of keep the ball in our sticks and work it around a little more, which really helped us slow the game down a little bit.
“I think that drawing the ground balls at the beginning was really tough. I know the snow and stuff affected it a lot, but once we got that together, the momentum of the game really changed, our spirits got up and we were able to pull together for the end.”
Once they did, they played toe-to-toe with the Rams and tied the game up at 5-5 with 5:48 left in the second quarter. Rampart held a 6-5 advantage going into halftime, but the Tigers had just started knocking off the ice that slowed them down through the first 24 minutes of play.
Jones began the final push toward victory with a goal at the 5:28 mark, but the Rams maintained a lead up until the last 2:04 of the third quarter.
A Vail goal shifted the momentum toward the Tigers for the first time all night, then a Jones score at the 1:52 mark turned it irrevocably in their favor. They entered the final quarter with an 8-7 lead, then added another three — two from Vail and one more from Emma Brusate — before the Rams could respond.
By that point, the deficit proved too great for the visiting team to overcome. The Tigers improved to 8-2, and will now prepare to travel to Cheyenne Mountain on April 27. They look forward to their probable best state tournament seeding since their inception a few years ago.
“They’ve worked very hard and the girls that have returned have played very well,” head coach Jack Englert said. “We’ve also been fortunate to have quite a few freshmen who’ve made a difference this year. As the season has gone along, they’ve just continued to improve and come together. … The last two years, they’ve been in the playoffs. Last year, we squeaked in as the bottom seed (No. 24). This year, we hope to be better and we just look to keep improving.”
