Towson?s girls lacrosse team understood it needed to improve on its draw control to have the best chance for success in the postseason. The Generals then dedicated much of Monday?s practice to that particular skill.
Practice apparently makes perfect for Towson as it won 10 of 14 second-half draws, and 14 of 24 overall, en route to a 14-9 win over visiting Fallston Tuesday in the Class 3A-2A North region semifinals. The Generals now host North Harford at 4 p.m. Wednesday for the region title.
Lacey Mahle scored four of her six goals in the second half, Emily Franke had a goal and three assists and Kaitlin Feeney scored twice for Towson (14-1). Erika Braerman scored four goals and had an assist for Fallston (13-4), which got outscored 9-4 in the second half.
“Draw controls have been a weakness for us all year,” said Franke, who recovered most of Towson?s draws. “We?ve also been a second-half team ever since I can remember, and that was true here today.”
Towson and Fallston traded the lead throughout much of the first half before the Cougars tied the game at 5. The Generals then looked like a completely different team in the second half as they scored five unanswered goals over a six-minute span to take a 10-5 lead with 18:43 remaining. The Cougars didn?t score their first second-half goal until Braerman found the back of the net with 12:43 left in the contest.
“We?ve been a little slow early in a lot of games this year,” Towson coach Kathy Brave said. “Our girls, though, dug down deep in the second half to make sure we came out with a win.”
Fallston coach Michael McTeague said his team had a great season.
“Draw controls have been our nemesis all year,” he said. “When we played even in that category, the game was tied. We just didn?t have the ball enough when we needed it and that was the difference. We?ve had a lot of great wins, but this is a game I really wanted.”
TOWSON ADVANCES
» Towson hosts North Harford at 4 p.m. Wednesday for the Class 3A-2A North region title. The Generals won the regular-season meeting between the two teams, 14-12, on May 1. North Harford advanced with a win over Hereford on Tuesday.
» Towson?s lone loss this year came May 6 in the Baltimore County title game to Dulaney, 13-7.
