Howard girls lacrosse earns 16-11 win over Long Reach on senior day

Howard girls lacrosse’s seven seniors have delivered invaluable leadership. In what could be the final home game of their Lions careers, a win was the only thing on their minds.

Building a six-goal halftime advantage and fending off a late Long Reach rally, the Lions closed out a 16-11 win.

“It’s always hard to lose seniors every year,” Howard coach Megan Hart said. “Every year they become more and more important to us because I’ve been with them longer. We will miss them a lot. They mean the world to our program.”

The Lions consistently preach the value of teamwork, which shined through Tuesday night. Ten of Howard’s 16 goals were assisted with the team quickly moving the ball up and down the field.

The midfield tandem of senior Jessica Vela and sophomore Brynn Bartlett spearheaded the offense. Bartlett finished with a team-high seven points (five goals, two assists), her sixth time in the last seven games with at least five points.

Vela scored four times including a first-half hat trick that pushed the Lions to an early advantage. Many of those opportunities came in transition, an area where Howard (6-6, 5-3 Howard County) has improved since the start of the season.

“We’ve done a lot of drills catching longer passes and passes on the run,” Vela said. “That was a little difficult for us early in the season, but we pointed it out right away. I think looking for certain players throughout the field, knowing who’s open. Also, moving while the whistle hasn’t been blown yet when a foul happens and everyone keeping their head up and looking for who’s open, trusting one another.”

Both midfielders took advantage of Lightning mistakes, many of which were created off the ride as Lions hounded Long Reach’s defenders to regain possession.

“Our team is so determined,” Bartlett said. “We all have that heart and hustle in us. We’re just determined to get the ball back every time because we just want another one.”

Howard’s defense kept the Lightning off the board for nearly 20 minutes with strong communication anchored by Emma Antill in net. Facing a prolific attacker in Long Reach’s Chiara Pompei, the Lions preached the importance of communicating switches. However, Pompei could only be held down for so long.

Long Reach (7-3, 5-3) ended the prolonged drought early in the third, keyed by Delaney Daffan and Pompei. The tandem combined to score all four goals in the frame, bringing them within four entering the final quarter.

In the fourth, the game opened up with end-to-end action. The Lions continued to excel in transition, regaining a six-goal lead early in the period. However, Long Reach wouldn’t go away with three straight goals to bring them within three with 3:29 remaining. But in those critical moments, Howard won the draws and tough groundballs.

Bartlett and senior Avery Lockwood each netted a goal in the final two minutes to seal the win in the regular-season finale, giving the seniors the goodbye they hoped for.

“It’s amazing,” Vela said. “My senior night has come so fast. I haven’t been playing lacrosse for that long. It’s just flown by with the best people in my life, Brynn the last two years. It’s been an amazing experience. Also to work hard, it wasn’t a blowout and we had a lot of teamwork, which made it really awesome.”

Howard — 5 3 2 6 — 16

Long Reach — 2 0 4 5 — 11

Goals: Ho- Brynn Bartlett 5, Jessica Vela 4, Avery Lockwood 3, Avery Graham 2, Courtney Brooks, Emmie Williams; LR- Chiara Pompei 4, Delaney Daffan 4, Lucy Paulhamus 2, Alaina Norton. Assists: Ho- Emmie Williams 3, Brynn Bartlett 2, Mallory Merkey 2, Avery Lockwood, Avery Graham, Katelynn Lee. LR — Samantha Legge 3, Chiara Pompei 3, Delaney Daffan 1. Saves: Ho- Emma Antill 7; LR- Ace Jeffers 10.