Lehi Sports
Falcon girls lacrosse finishes 2nd in 6A
Beky Beaton / Lehi Free Press
The Skyridge girls lacrosse team blew their way through the 6A state tournament, easily eliminating their first three opponents but falling in a dramatic overtime loss in the title contest to finish second in Class 6A with a 20-2 record for their outstanding season.
May 14: Skyridge 27, No. 16 Westlake 0
Senior attacker Tessa Jamison got the Falcons started off right in the tournament with 11 goals and two assists against the overmatched Thunder. Sophomore midfielder Ellie Palmer scored five times with one give while sophomore attacker Sage Curtis added three goals and two assists.
Sophomore midfielder Liv Enger added three goals plus one give and sophomore attacker Sophia Fife scored twice with three assists. Sophomore midfielder Summer Buechner set up her teammates eight times and managed 18 draw controls. Senior goaltender Leilani Fiefia had two saves.
May 16: Skyridge 18, No. 8 Herriman 3
Buechner dominated in both directions in her role in the middle, scoring five times, dealing five assists, snagging five ground balls and causing six turnovers. Palmer added six goals and Curtis scored three times with two gives.
Fife offered four assists plus picked up five ground balls. Fiefia tallied four saves, three ground balls and two caused turnovers. Sophomore midfielder Geneva Barfuss led in draw controls this game with seven.
May 19: Skyridge 23, No. 4 Lone Peak 6
As their seeding shows, the Knights had a pretty good season overall, but they struggled against the Falcons, losing twice to them in league play to finish second after beating everyone else. This semifinal result was their most lopsided loss to Skyridge.
At Westminster University’s Dumke Field, Enger opened scoring in the semifinal by hitting the target 27 seconds into the contest, setting the tone for the active Falcon offense. In all, five players contributed to Skyridge’s 9-3 lead at the end of the first quarter and the rout was on from there.
The Falcons continued to show patience and good ball movement, with precise, disciplined passing. On the defensive side, they pursued with vigor and seldom left any gaps that Lone Peak could exploit. Fiefia had just two saves in the contest, but that’s mostly because the Knights didn’t get many shots off.
Buechner again shone in her multi-faceted roles, scoring five times while providing eight assists, four ground balls, two caused turnovers and 12 draw controls.
Four other players had hat tricks in this match: Palmer (4 goals, 2 assists), Curtis (4/1), Jamison (4) and Fife (3). Enger added two goals and two assists, Barfuss got six draw controls and Fiefia made two saves.
May 21: No. 2 Riverton 8, Skyridge 7 (OT)
At Zion’s Bank Stadium in Herriman, the Falcons appeared to be in a comfortable rhythm on both sides of the stick in the first half, which ended with them enjoying a 6-3 advantage.
However, after the break, the Silverwolves went to work on both ends of the field to try to trim the deficit. They outscored top-seeded Skyridge 4-1 the rest of the way, including a penalty-peppered final few minutes, to draw even at 7-all before the final whistle.
The Falcons created the first opportunity in the sudden-death overtime period but the shot attempt was saved by the keeper. They lost the ball during their next possession, and Riverton eventually scored off the turnover with 34 seconds remaining to claim the golden-goal victory.
Barfuss, Jamison and Fife each hit the target twice while Palmer added one goal and one assist. Buechner made four gives, caused four turnovers and won four draws. Fiefia had five saves in the effort.
