For the first time in the program's history, the Falls Church High School girls varsity lacrosse team will compete for the National District Championship after beating Washington-Lee 9-4 in Tuesday evening's semi-final matchup.
The Jaguars (10-3) pounced early and never trailed in Tuesday's game, learning from their earlier game against the Generals that they could not ease back on the throttle. In the teams' meeting on April 30, Washington-Lee nearly rallied from a 10-4 halftime deficit, forcing Falls Church to fight them off for a 13-10 victory.
“The key to winning tonight's game was draw control,” Falls Church Head Coach Sabrina Yarie said. “We took the lead early and never looked back.”
The win over Washington-Lee sets the stage for an exciting championship against perennial favorite Yorktown, who won 11-1 over Edison in their half of the semi-final bracket. The two teams met at Falls Church on May 1, the Jaguars' senior day, with the Patriots prevailing 12-9. Yorktown led by just one goal at the half, but pulled away in the second frame. The Patriots are the only National District team that has beaten the Jaguars this season.
“We fought back hard, but we simply ran out of time,” Yarie said. “It was a hard-fought game by both teams and we are looking forward to playing them in the championship Friday night.”
The title game will be played at Yorktown at 7:30 p.m.
A number of Jaguars were honored with spots on the All-National District First and Second Teams, including senior Valerie Gibbons, who led the team with 47 goals and 27 assists through 13 games. Her 74 points are the most ever in the nine-year history of the Falls Church High School girls lacrosse program. Joining Gibbons on the First Team were seniors Jessica Thatcher and Minh Le, as well as junior Jackie Jubien. Junior Sarah Kane and sophomores Sarah Cortez and Hannah Wilkerson were named to the second team.
