Oxbow Girls Lacrosse

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Created on Thursday, 09 May 2013 19:25

Written by Courtland Hanley

BRADFORD - Last night the Oxbow Lady Olympians hosted the Green Mountain Union Chieftains in girls lacrosse action. The Lady Olympians were looking to bounce back after two tough losses, 10-6 to St. Johnsbury Academy, and 16-6 to Bellows Free Academy.

Following back to back losses, it was important for Oxbow to score an early goal and mount early momentum. They did exactly that, when Senior Dilan Clements scored just 92 seconds into the game. Junior Mikayla Hodge followed up with another goal, and Oxbow led 2-0 within the first five minutes of action.

The lady Olympians would continue to dominate the time of possession. An offensive surge saw three more Oxbow goals in just 60 seconds, including Hodge's second goal of the game.

Green Mountain would bounce back, and spent some time in their offensive zone, before finally netting their first goal. The goal gave the Chieftains a boost, and they played more competitively through the rest of the first half.

Oxbow's offense was too much for Green Mountain though, as Clements and Hodge were able to score another goal each, taking a 7-2 lead into halftime.

Green Mountain opened up the second half with a much-needed goal less than two minutes in. Oxbow's Vanessa Valley quickly answered, taking the momentum right back. Hodge would follow with her fourth goal, and Clements followed with two more of her own, sealing the deal for Oxbow.

Oxbow would score twice more, and take an easy victory by a score of 13-4. Clements and Hodge led the way with four goals each.

Clements is a key player for the Lady Olympians, even when she doesn't score. Clements is an emotional leader for the team. "I like to be the positive influence, I really like to cheer everyone on, tell them when they're doing things right... [positively] critique them on things they're not doing right or could do better," said Clements.

Oxbow Lacrosse Coach Jane Smith said after the game that it was important to stick to the fundamentals, and she thought it played a big role in the win. "You're so busy moving forward... and practice isn't there to remember that you have to go back and you have to really focus on the ground-balls and picking up... throwing and catching, making sure that you're constantly moving," Smith said.

Smith is midway through her first year of coaching lacrosse at Oxbow. Smith replaced long time soccer, basketball and lacrosse coach Brian Musty. Musty was arrested in November on a sexual assault charge, dating back to the late 1990s. Musty has pleaded not guilty, but was fired from the school. While the news caused a commotion among the parents, the students play on, no matter who their coach is.

Oxbow's season continues with a home game this Friday. They host the Harwood Highlanders.