Girls lacrosse season ends in double overtime thriller (2024)

It was the third straight time the Powhatan girls lacrosse team had to face the Rockbridge County Wildcats in the Class 4 State Tournament, and after losses of 16-5 and 12-5 in those previous meetings, the Indians delivered their best punch yet.

The Indians led for almost the entirety of regulation, including a 5-2 lead after the first quarter where Erica Krauss scored four of her seven goals, but the Wildcats closed the gap, and drew level just before the end of regulation, needing two overtimes to get past the Indians for a 13-12 win and a spot in the state semifinals.

It’s another heartbreaking finish for the Indians, who lost in the final moments of the Region 4B Finals despite a late rally to the Hanover Hawks just a week ago. Despite the team collectively being open about their intentions at a region title and a finish beyond the state quarterfinals, the steps forward were still there to be found from this group, who finished with a 14-3 record and were as close as ever to achieving both of those goals.

“I could not be prouder of the way they played and handled themselves,” head coach Laura Camp said about the team’s postseason performance.

The Indians had a quick turnaround from their regional loss to the Hawks, and the schedule only intensified with a trip to Rockbridge against a Wildcats team that entered the state tournament with a 14-1 record and a 4D region title. Their lone loss came against Western Albemarle in a 15-7 loss on March 19. The Indians were just the third team to score 10 or more goals against the Wildcats, and the only one to get as close to victory over them aside from the victorious Warriors.

Camp said the team was fantastic from the start, regrouping any time they let up a goal and putting in a winning effort that gave Rockbridge one of its toughest battles of the season.

“The girls came out strong from the beginning and didn’t let up the entire game,” Camp said. “That was an improvement from the Hanover game and something we learned from.”

It’s tough to look ahead when the current moment had so many exciting possibilities, but Camp’s Indians have tons of reasons for optimism when they take the field next spring. The plan is to strengthen the regular season schedule so that the team is even more prepared for the kind of pressure they faced against Hanover and Rockbridge.

“The only way to learn how to play under pressure is having a challenging regular season schedule, which we plan to do next season,” Camp said.

As far as roster turnover, there’s hardly any. They’ll be losing just a single senior in talented defender Grace Hayden, while a 13-junior class steps up to lead the charge.

A handful of those juniors experienced seasons that Camp particularly praised as showing the most improvement that she hopes they build on next year. Chloe Holt, for instance, tripled her goal totals from her sophom*ore to junior year, while gaining confidence in her attacks to the net that make the offense even more powerful when she shares the field with the likes of Caroline Camp, Emma Terry, Blakley Dowdy and Krauss.

Chloe James’ junior year saw her switch from the attack to a spot in the defense, and she flourished under the new role, carrying over her excellent field hockey season into an equally strong lacrosse campaign.

And there’s also Bevyn Nunnally, who emerged alongside James as a defender that helped goalie Mackenzie Halfon stifle opponent after opponent on their way to the postseason. Camp particularly praised her ability to clear the ball and push in transition, a skill that’s worth keeping an eye on for her senior year.

There’s a healing process that’ll undoubtedly follow this season’s conclusion, but the Indians have continued to bounce back time and time again, and the goals that have been at the forefront of this season will carry on to the next, where they’ll look to work their way into an even better spot in 2025.