Girls Lacrosse: Cougars Overcome Slow Start for Win

After a back-and-forth start to the first round Northern Region Tournament game between the Oakton Cougars and Stone Bridge Bulldogs on Tuesday, the Cougars pulled ahead for a commanding 19-10 win to continue their quest for the region title.

Ninety seconds into the game, the Bulldogs knocked in the first goal to hold the lead for six minutes until the Cougars' Tori Anderson tied the game. About 20 seconds later, the Bulldogs answered to once again pull ahead. 

After senior Jackie Rupp scored an unassisted goal to tie the game, her teammate Claire Stikeleather took the lead for the Cougars with an unassisted goal of her own with 11:40 left in the first half. 

The Cougars maintained the lead for the rest of the game, adding seven more goals — two each for Rupp and Carly Palmucci, and one each for Stikeleather, Alex Revel and Allison Turk — in the last 11 minutes of the half while holding the Bulldogs to two. Palmucci tallied the Cougars' only first-half assist.

The second half saw more of the same suffocating defense and dominating offense, with the Cougars jumping to a 7-1 scoring spree. Though the Bulldogs added five goals to the final score, they never found a way to mount a full comeback. 

Revel tossed in three of Oakton's second-half goals, Meagan McRoberts added two and Rupp, Kelsey Clarke, Lydia Montanino and Catherine Miller each had one. Montanino also had three assists in the second half. Palmucci added two more assists and McRoberts had one of her own.

Starting goalkeeper Emily George made five saves for the Cougars, and Valerie Daniels made two in the second half. 

The Cougars will host Hayfield in the second round of the Northern Region Tournament on Friday.