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RIVERDALE GIRLS ARE NEW YORK STATE LACROSSE CHAMPIONS:

Lady Falcons avenge only loss of season in dramatic title game battle

 

By Jason Eisenberg

 

May 27, 2011 -- The final seconds ticked off the scoreboard clock at Manhattanville College on Wednesday evening -- five, four, three, two, one -- as the members of the Riverdale Country School girls’ lacrosse team tried to restrain their excitement for just a few more moments on the sideline.

 

When the countdown reached zero, the Lady Falcons stormed the field and were met halfway from the other direction by a big group of student supporters for a massive dogpile. After a few celebratory fist pumps, head coach Carol Pouliot stood nearby with her face in her hands as if to soak in the experience, before being serenaded by chants of “Coach P, Coach P.” Dozens of parents and school staff cheered on the girls while gradually approaching the ever-growing midfield gathering from the spectator area.

 

This festive scene was the culmination of months of hard work and ultimately the realization of a season-long goal -- for the first time in program history, the Lady Falcons were NYSAIS state tournament champions.

 

“I am just so happy for these girls and they are the greatest group of kids I have ever coached,” said Pouliot. “There has been pressure on them all season to get this done, and that is the beauty of this team, because never at any point was I worried about them remaining composed and confident. They are true winners in every sense of the word and it is awesome to see them get rewarded with a state title for their efforts.” 

 

The local team accomplished this impressive feat with a thrilling 13-11 victory that likely tasted just a bit sweeter because it came against the same Poly Prep squad that had ruined their bid for a perfect regular season only nine days earlier. However, this title-clincher did not come easily or without a little suspense along the way. In fact, Riverdale led for literally the entire contest, but Poly kept it close and finally managed to tie the score late in the second half. Determined to prevent their Brooklyn rivals from spoiling yet another party, the Lady Falcons responded in the clutch by netting the final two goals of the evening.

 

“This was the most tense game I have ever been a part of, there was so much riding on it, and we have been working toward this for so long,” said senior attacker Katherine Coles. “We have referred to this moment as reaching Everest, and now that we finally did, it just feels incredible. I can’t really think of a better way for me to end my time here at Riverdale.”

 

Coles actually played a key role in helping the Lady Falcons get off to a strong start, as she scored three times over the first 11 minutes of the game. Junior midfielder Lindsay Picard also scored twice during this stretch -- including the day’s first goal, just 30 seconds after the opening draw -- and Riverdale held an early 5-2 advantage. From this point on, a recurring pattern emerged that saw Poly repeatedly narrow the deficit, before the Lady Falcons would quickly answer back to regain their three-goal lead. 

 

Riverdale was ahead 7-4 at halftime, but Poly significantly stepped up its offensive pressure following the break and got within a single goal for the first time since the opening minute of the game. The Lady Falcons almost immediately bounced back on a beautiful tic-tac-toe passing play from Madeline Hopper to Picard to Coles, who scored her fourth of the day. Madeline Hopper then proceeded to score two goals of her own, sandwiched around one by older sister Mia, as Riverdale took another step closer to the title.

 

Trailing 11-8 and with only seven minutes remaining, Poly managed to do what they could not for the whole game up until this point -- score three straight times over a span of four minutes and finally drew even with the Lady Falcons. Actually, if not for numerous tough saves throughout the second half by the Riverdale goaltending tandem of senior Emily Birge and sophomore Brittany Brown, the Lady Falcons might have been trailing. Yet, rather than falling apart after Poly’s stunning late comeback, the Riverdale girls instead rose up to the occasion and showed that they would not be denied their trophy.

 

Just 90 seconds after Poly had tied it at 11, Zoe Michas proved to be the hero for Riverdale, as the senior midfielder fooled the opposing goalkeeper with a tricky underhand shot for the second time on the day. While Picard would add an insurance goal in the final minute to put Poly away for good, it is Michas who will forever be in the record book as scoring the game-winner that gave the Lady Falcons their first-ever lacrosse title.       

 

“I was never really a low shooter, but I knew it was the best way to beat this goalie and it worked out twice today,” said Michas. “It honestly scared the crap out of me when they tied it, so even though I knew we were going to do whatever it took to pull this one out, I definitely felt relief when my shot went in. Winning this lacrosse title is all we talked about, going back to day one of soccer season in the fall, and now it really feels like a dream-come-true.”   

 

Coles and Picard finished with four goals each, Michas and Madeline Hopper contributed two apiece, while Mia Hopper added one goal to round out the scoring. Additionally, Zoe Loveman, Aliza Green and Bronwen Schumacher all picked up an assist in the contest. The team’s goalie duo split time in the net nearly equally, with Brown making seven saves on 12 shots and Birge stopping six of 12 shots.             

 

After this latest -- and most important -- win, Riverdale boasts an amazing final record of 17-1, as well as a state championship to go alongside an Ivy League title, with the lone blemish being that one-goal double-overtime loss to Poly in the regular season finale.

 

As most coaches tend to do, Pouliot has regularly deflected all praise away from herself and on to the players throughout the past two months, but make no mistake, she deserves just as much credit as anyone for the program’s success in 2011. The truth is you would be hard-pressed to find another coach in the local area that devotes more time and energy than she does to her sports teams. 

 

“When I really think about it, I guess I have put 110-percent in to this season and have essentially lived lacrosse for the past few months,” said Pouliot. “I have been running all over the place to scout teams, watched tape of our opponents and especially learned a lot for today by studying the recent loss to Poly. Thankfully, it certainly seems like all this work -- both mine and particularly by the girls -- really paid off in the end.”

 

 

Riverdale’s Three Stars of the Game

 

#1 - Zoe Michas - The senior midfielder’s two scores might have only been tied for third-best on her team, but she undoubtedly put in the biggest goal of the day. Michas’ scored what proved to be the game-winner with just under two minutes remaining and only 90 seconds after Poly had just tied it. She also had an assist, played well defensively and intercepted a Poly pass in the final minute that essentially sealed the victory. 

 

#2 - Lindsay Picard - Just as she has for the whole season, the junior midfielder led her team in points on this day, finishing with four goals and two assists. Picard scored her team’s first and last goals of the game to bookend an overall superb offensive effort.

 

#3 - Katherine Coles - The senior attacker did exactly that, attacking the Poly net mercilessly, especially during a three-goal opening half. Coles would add a fourth goal -- to match Picard for the team lead -- on a beautiful three-way passing play after the break and finished with a team-high 11 shots on goal.  

 

 

CHAMPIONSHIP QUOTEBOOK

 

Sophomore goalie Brittany Brown on winning the title and defeating Poly Prep:

“Many people thought last year was supposed to be our season, but we came up short. This time, with so many seniors that are graduating, I am just happy we were able to get it done for them because they are the heart and soul of this team. Personally speaking, I was actually in goal when Poly scored to win that game in overtime last week, so it was extra special to stuff a couple of their shots and specifically beat them to win the championship.”

 

Senior midfielder Zoe Michas on learning from the recent loss to Poly:

“You never consider it to be a good thing to lose an undefeated season, but that was never really one of our goals. We wanted the Ivy title and the state championship, so that loss was like a wake-up call, and if anything, it helped us realize what we needed to do better against Poly. Who knows, if we did not lose that game, it might have been much worse, we might have lost today instead, and that feeling would have been unbearable.”

 

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Riverdale Report Card

 

Offense: A-

Riverdale matched its lowest goal total of the season in this game, but the important thing is that every time the Lady Falcons needed to score, they found a way to get it done. While the local team was unable to pull away on the scoreboard, they never trailed once in the contest, dominated possession for long stretches of time and always responded in clutch situations when the lead was cut to a single goal or when Poly eventually tied it. 

Defense: B+

Poly averaged nearly 15 goals over its nine-game winning streak, so holding them to just 11 was already an accomplishment for the Riverdale defense. In fact, the Lady Falcons were nearly impenetrable for the first 35 minutes of the game and rarely allowed shots to even reach their goalie. A seven-minute lapse in focus led to a Poly scoring spree during the second half, but the defense recovered in time for the crucial final minutes.

Goalkeeping: B+

The Lady Falcons goalie duo faced very little work in the first half, but that changed after the break when Poly drastically stepped up its offensive attack. Despite allowing the Brooklyn team to nearly double its goal total in the second half, it was the numerous big saves by Birge and especially Brown during the latter stages of the contest that clearly impacted the final outcome. 

 

 

Congratulations to the members of Riverdale Lady Falcons lacrosse

 

Head Coach: Carol Pouliot

 

Seniors: Mia Hopper, Katherine Coles, Zoe Loveman, Zoe Michas, Emily Birge, Bronwen Schumacher, Aliza Green, Kelly Suchman,, Hallie Garvey, Sophie Kaye, Sarah McManus       

 

Juniors: Lindsay Picard, Isabella Bertagna, Sophia Sciabica, Rachel Wolitzer, Samantha Richman, Blaire Preiss, Isabelle Riccardi, Jessica Gibbs

             

Sophomores: Brittany Brown, Sydney Hard, Jackie Dworkin, Ali Hyman, Emily Dann     

 

Freshman: Madeline Hopper