The first postseason lacrosse banners are up for grabs tonight in the Northern Region. Four boys and four girls district championship games are on tap. Only the National District girls participants were undecided at press time. Here is a preview of tonight’s title games.
Concorde District
At Westfield
» No. 2 Chantilly girls vs. No. 1 Oakton, 6
» No. 3 Westfield boys vs. No. 1 Robinson, 7:30
Westfield’s boys have been a different team since 11-4 loss to No. 1 St. Albans on April 23. The Bulldogs (10-3) have won five straight, including 9-5 win over No. 2 seed Oakton (6-6) in the semifinals Wednesday. The earlier meeting was a classic with Robinson taking an 11-10 win in overtime. The Rams (10-2) are adjusting to the loss of senior defenseman Mike Meier (ACL).
Chantilly’s girls had Oakton (10-1) on the ropes in their regular-season game on May 1. But a three-goal lead in the second half slipped away in 11-10 loss. The Chargers (10-2) loom as a region title darkhorse. Their only other loss was to No. 10 Yorktown, also 11-10. Oakton, a 19-7 semifinal winner over Westfield, has not lost to a public school team this year.
Patriot District
At Lee
» No. 2 Annandale girls vs. No. 1 West Springfield, 6
» No. 4 Annandale boys vs. No. 3 West Springfield, 8
Annandale (12-4) outscored its first two tournament opponents by 25-6 while West Springfield (14-0) did the same by 34-2. The Spartans won 10-7 on March 27. Both teams have lost twice in the final since 2000. West Springfield’s attack is potent with MF Sunnie Ko (58 goals), MF Lauren Stephenson (38) and A Bonnie Lalich (38).
The boys championship is a surprise. Hayfield was the story all season in the Patriot after winning its first 14 games, but lost to Annandale in the semifinals. West Springfield beat the Atoms 8-7 on April 27 in five overtimes.
The Spartans (8-5) have become overtime specialists. They also lost in four overtimes to Chantilly (6-5) and in one to T.C. Williams (7-6). Annandale (8-4) has won seven straight after a 1-4 start.
Liberty District
At Marshall
» No. 2 Langley boys vs. No 1 W.T. Woodson, 5
» No. 2 Langley girls vs. No. 1 W.T. Woodson, 7
These two teams seem to meet every year in the Liberty District final, both boys and girls. W.T. Woodson (9-4) has won 10 of the last 12 games in this series on the boys side, including a 10-4 decision at Langley on April 26. Woodson has also beaten the Saxons in the last three district championship games by a combined six goals.
Woodson’s girls (9-4) thrashed Langley (9-4) on April 26, 13-2. The Saxons can’t afford a crisis of confidence if they want revenge. Look for senior A Sara Morse to bounce back with a big game. All four of Woodson’s losses have been by three goals or less as the Cavaliers again resemble the six-time region championship team of recent years.
National District
At Washington-Lee
» No. 2 Mount Vernon boys vs. No. 1 Yorktown, 7:30
It wasn’t long ago that Mount Vernon (7-7) had a stranglehold on the National District crown. The Majors won 46 district games in a row between 2000 and 2006 and six straight district titles. But Yorktown has its own streak now. The Patriots (12-3) have not lost to a district opponent since Mount Vernon beat them 8-5 in the 2005 final. Yorktown seniors Clay Chamberlin and Dan Carson have a combined 75 goals.
