BUTLER TWP — While Seneca Valley girls lacrosse coach Karyn Brooks would like to see her team close the gap between its offensive spurts, the Raiders picked a good time to go on one Tuesday against Butler.

With the Raiders leading the Golden Tornado 5-3 neither team was able to score in the first 10 minutes of the second half.

After that point, SV reeled off three goals in a span of 8:33.

The run proved to be the difference as the Raiders (12-0, 5-0) remained undefeated with an 8-5 win Monday night.

"The girls score in bunches when I tell them to," Brooks said with a laugh. "Every once in a while, we'll get on an adrenaline rush."

Junior Melissa Ball scored the Raiders' first two goals of the second half, the first one coming with 14:56 left in the game that gave her team a 6-3 edge.

Following a goal by Butler's Becca Crissman, Ball found the net again with 6:55 remaining.

Shannon Quail added another score for the Raiders just 32 seconds later.

The win nullified a strong performance by Butler goalie Julie Holt, who ended the game with 16 saves, including 11 in the first half.

"Julie's play was amazing tonight," said Butler coach Annie Succop. "She really made some great stops."

In the first half, SV's Andrea St. Clair and Butler's Elizabeth Small each tallied two goals, all four coming in the final 9:32 before halftime.

There were points in the game when Butler was able to keep the ball in the Raiders' end, but more times than not, the Tornado were either denied by SV goalie Katie Sterling, who had 12 saves, or fell victim to turnovers.

"There are times when we can go on really good spurts, but then we lose it," said Succop. "Tonight, we had too many dropped balls."

Seneca Valley's Lindsay Flavion opened the scoring with a goal 2:19 into the game.

Crissman answered for Butler just over a minute later, but the Raiders took the lead for good at 2-1 with Adrienne Steele's goal with 19:23 left in the half.

The Golden Tornado will enter the second half of their WPIAL Section 1 schedule with a 1-4 mark, 1-8 overall.

When asked if she was pleased with the team's progress in her first year as coach, Succop replied, "Yes and no.

"The team has come a long way," she added. "But the girls haven't realized their potential yet."

Seneca Valley 5 3—8Butler 3 2—5Goals

Seneca Valley (12-0, 5-0): Andrea St. Clair (2), Melissa Ball (2), Lindsay Flavion, Adrienne Steele, Ashley Argyros, Shannon Quail

Butler (1-8, 1-4): Elizabeth Small (2), Becca Crissman (2), Nicole Cancilla

SavesKatie Sterling (SV) 12; Julie Holt (B) 16

Thursday: Shaler at Butler

May 3: Shaler at Seneca Valley