Lacrosse playoffs: Benjamin girls roll on after close one against King's Academy

PALM BEACH GARDENS — The fans in the stands at the Benjamin School called it best for Tuesday's first round of girls lacrosse state playoffs.

Visiting King's Academy parents chattered with excitement as halftime neared, their Lions just three points away from tying the Buccaneers, who ultimately won 10-8.

"Benjamin is better in skill, but this team is good enough to hang for an exciting ending," one quipped.

Another rattled off one of the postseason's most tried and true sayings: "And sports are sports. Anything can happen."

King's season ultimately ended at 14-3, the team's final performance offering no reason to leave Theofilos Field with heads hung low. Although a number of costly missed calls and penalties by officials saw Lions disappointed from the bench to the bleachers.

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A thriller to the end

Penalties were a problem for the Bucs from quarter to quarter, and while many charges and holds were dealt whistles and yellow cards, other flagrant offenses like checks to the face didn't get the whistle.

King's capitalized on six free positions and was led in scoring by sophomore Sophia Cueto.

"I'm proud of the team. I think they fought through the entire game. We had to overcome a lot of adversity through the game and I think that they did a really good job," King's coach Brett VanAlstyne said. "The Benjamin team is great. They have an outstanding goalie, a really good defense and they really challenged our team today."

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"It always feels good to be moving further into the playoffs. We were here last year, so we were hoping we'd get back here. I'm just really thankful to have such a talented group of individuals that really just bring it when they need to bring it," Benjamin coach Quinn Roe said.

Without much help from the stripes, Benjamin sophomore Madison Jayson helped her crew return to the region semifinals with a career-best five-goal performance, and managed to notch her 100th career point.

"I'm really excited. Obviously, this is just the beginning because last year I wasn't anywhere close to where I am points-wise this year. I'm hoping I can get to 200 by the end. That's the goal," Jayson said.

"The first few plays of the game, I think I fed the ball and it was knocked down or it just wasn't the feed, so I kind of read off of that," Jayson said. "I made a mental note of the fact that they know I'm a feeder, so I just looked for the next option, which for me is to go in the goal."

King's Lucy Dailey and Benjamin's Rachel Haueisen shine in the net

Those who attended the private school showdown know the scoreboard wasn't a reflection of the heavy lifting done by goalies Lucy Dailey and Rachel Haueisen.

"That was actually insane," Jayson said of the two's performance.

"I knew every time they took a shot, Rachel was gonna be a brick wall to be there, and when I was taking my shots, I knew this goalie [Dailey] is literally committed to a Division I school. I can't just lob it."

"Lucy Dailey is an amazing talent. She's going to be attending Drexel University next year and she showed it out here on the field she's ready to perform and compete at the next level," VanAlystne said. Dailey had eight saves against the Bucs' relentless attacks.

Benjamin's Haueisen, a junior, has had her own share of success this season. A win over Jupiter back in March saw her make her 400th career save , something rarely accomplished by seniors, let alone a younger teammate.

With King's dominating the draw, Haueisen spent her evening hard at work fending off blazing shots from Cueto, Jaden Southard, Kyah Cheatham and company. She had six saves.

What's next for the rivals?

While the Lions return to their den for the offseason to regroup without Dailey on the roster, the Buccaneers are rowing on to the second round of 1A playoffs.

Benjamin heads south to S t. Andrew's on Tuesday. It'll be the first time the two have met since February, when the Scots picked up an 8-6 victory, but a lot has changed since the second game of the season.

And as a wise fan once said, sports are sports. Anything can happen.

Emilee Smarr is a sports reporter for The Palm Beach Post. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Lacrosse playoffs: Benjamin girls roll on after close one against King's Academy