Girls lacrosse: Benet finishes second in state after running into Loyola juggernaut
Continuous rain showers coated the pitch at Hinsdale Central during Saturday's IHSA girls lacrosse state title tilt between Benet Academy and defending champion Loyola.
"I hope that it doesn't affect the game," Loyola coach John Dwyer said less than 30 minutes prior to the opening faceoff.
"It could be worse," Benet coach Amanda Kammes said en route to meeting Dwyer to wish him and his team good luck. "It could be snowing."
After a dominant first-half performance by Loyola, Kammes and her team may have preferred a snowy pitch for they were unable to stop let alone slow down the Rambler juggernaut. Loyola bolted to its second straight state title and third in four springs in a 14-5 win at Dickinson Field at Hinsdale Bank Stadium.
"We came out slow (in) our past two games so we wanted to show everyone we deserved to be here so we decided to go out 100% and never let up," Loyola senior midfielder Emma Burke said.
"I'm really glad and excited we were able to do this."
Burke, a Michigan recruit whose four goals led the way for the Ramblers (21-3), helped to establish control of the game in the early going. That led the way to a 5-0 lead after one of Burke's four goals, the first of senior midfielder Jocelyn Park's three scores and a pair of goals in the final 1:33 of the opening stanza from midfielders Emily Couri, a junior who finished with two scores, and first-year letterwinner Jillian Rocchio.
Junior attacker Annie Devine added two more goals for the Ramblers as the lead extended to 11-1 at the break which put the running clock for the second half as they had gone 11-14 (78%) in the first 24 minutes of play.
Junior attacker Maddie Trapp accounted for Benet's first two scores in both the second and third quarters.
Her junior teammate, midfielder Gianna Kurelko, followed with a pair of tallies in the final frame. Another Redwing middie, freshman Tierra Hammock, also scored for Benet (23-3) in final period.
Senior attacker Charlie Cassady added four assists for the Ramblers who won their 15th state title overall going back to the days when the Illinois High School Lacrosse Association (IHSLA) sponsored the state tournament.
Benet senior netminder Maddie Jensen, who will become a teammate of Burke's in Ann Arbor this fall, delivered a 10-save effort in goal to spark their second-half surge.
She spoke of her experience at the Lisle school the past four years.
"It was one of kind," Jensen said. "We didn't really play our game in the half, we left it all (out) during the second half. These players — they're so special. I wouldn't have wanted to do this with anyone else. The future is so bright for this program and this team and I am so glad I got to be a part of it "
Kammes laid plaudits on her squad including seven seniors: Jensen, Shannon Earley; a Notre Dame recruit who was named All-State along with Jensen at halftime; Eva Botsis, Jasmine Briggs, Peyton O'Neill, Dagny Tombaugh, and Molly Salvino.
"Every so often you get a special group of kids and you can have all of the talent in the world, but if you don't have the right chemistry and the right culture (it) doesn't matter,“ Jensen said.
“This group's remarkable. The seniors obviously are a wonderful group and (have) set the tone and legacy for Benet. We weren't on the map ever before these guys came in. I love them like they are my own children and I couldn't be more proud of the effort and the year that we had."