Late Mustang Surge Bright Spot in Loss

Prior to the start of Monday’s girls lacrosse game against Chantilly, George Mason High School head coach Barb Mahony predicted there could be trouble ahead and urged sophomore goalie Lauren Moore to keep her good humor. As the final whistle blew an hour later, Mahony’s premonitions proved justified, with the Mustangs enduring a 15-2 loss at the hands of the more seasoned Chargers.

Despite a dominant first half performance by visiting Chantilly that led to a 10-0 halftime deficit, the Mustangs showed their character, heeding Mahoney’s instructions and rallying to hold the Chargers to five goals in the second half, while scoring two of their own.

“We seem to be a second half team and we can’t afford to be,” Mahony said. “I need to figure out how to get them ready at the start of the game.”

Little, likely, could have prepared the Mustangs for the challenge the Chargers presented. Drawing from a student population approximately five-times that of George Mason High School, Chantilly flaunts a veteran team, that utilized a fluid cycle to confound the GMHS defense. According to Mahony, three members of the Chantilly squad will be playing Division I lacrosse next fall.

For their part, the Mustangs stood tall, mounting a sustained offensive attack for the first five minutes of the second half, and breaking up the shutout on a goal by freshman forward Mary Kate Cummings with roughly ten minutes left in the second half.

Less than two minutes later, junior Lena Griffin forced a turnover and sophomore Kaity Hauter capitalized on a Chantilly checking over-the-head foul, slipping a shot from the point past the goalie to draw the score to 12-2. The Mustangs gave one final flurry, but the Chargers held firm, tacking on three more goals before the final whistle blew. Moore made six saves for the Mustangs. Mahony also lauded the play of sophomore Meghan Mondragon.

“Meghan is an unsung hero at point,” Mahony said. “She was able to keep one of their best scorers to just two goals.”

Despite the final score, the defeat was a step forward from last year’s meeting, which resulted in an 18-0 victory for the Chargers.