Fox Chapel capitalizes against inexperienced Butler in 15-2 result
BUTLER TWP — Stability was central Tuesday night.
While Fox Chapel was on the offensive for much of a 15-2 WPIAL Section 2-3A girls lacrosse win at Butler, Golden Tornado senior goaltender Lauren LeGrand consistently directed her defense, even down double-digits late.
“She’s the fiercest competitor we have on our team,” first-year Butler coach Corey Hurley said of LeGrand. “She hates losing. She hates giving up any goals so she’s never going to quit. She’s a leader. She’s constantly talking.”
LeGrand had 19 saves and ventured out of the crease to cause three turnovers.
“It’s the speed of the game,” Hurley said. “We can’t replicate what they do on the field in practice. They’re just so fast and it’s tough. They were always coming on a rush. We were always a man down. ... When they’re coming with that much speed, you’re putting your defense in a bad spot.
“We’re young and inexperienced. We have a lot of girls that are learning under fire this year. It’s a good experience for them. It’s a bad experience right now, but it’s going to be a positive experience as move forward.”
Golden Tornado (4-6-1, 1-4) freshman attack Izzy Skal’s goal with 3:39 to go in the first half put an end to an 8-0 Foxes run to start the contest.
“We always used to joke that we’re not always a first-half or first-quarter team,” said coach Kellee Cribby, whose Fox Chapel (6-1, 4-0) team is ranked first in the grouping. “We’ve been working really hard to always bring a consistent amount of intensity to all four quarters. It’s been a big point of emphasis for us.”
Foxes senior Madelyn Jones’ goal 6:56 into the third frame set forth a rolling clock. Butler sophomore Taryn Hilovsky netted her side’s only other goal as the final buzzer blared.
“We have some injuries we’re battling through,” Hurley said. “When you play a team of this caliber and the talent that they have, you can’t make any mistakes. They don’t drop the ball. They don’t make miscues. ... We made stops. We had possession. We just kept turning it over.”
