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DALLAS TWP. — For the majority of Tuesday evening’s girls lacrosse showdown between Dallas and Wyoming Area, the two teams played about as even as can be.
But two dominant stretches, one to start the game and one to end it, proved to be the difference-maker for Dallas in a 10-7 victory over the Warriors.
Dallas jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead before the Warriors could crack the scoreboard, a hot start that had Wyoming Area playing from behind for much of the game.
The Mountaineers would match that early run with an even bigger one down the stretch, scoring five of the game’s last six goals to hold off the Warriors, who weathered the early storm nicely and locked into top form to get back into the game.
“They came out pretty hard, which they normally do,” Dallas head coach Hannah Bonomo said of her team’s intense effort in the opening few minutes. “It’s important to keep that pressure up … especially against a team that pressures you all the way through, and a team (Wyoming Area) that has a lot of heart.”
That early onslaught from the Dallas attack was led in large part by Braylee Walsh, who scored two of her team’s first three goals. Walsh would assist on two more goals later in the game, including one to her sister Ireland, who would later end up with a hat trick to lead all scorers.
Wyoming Area, though it may have taken them awhile to get rolling, answered Dallas immediately after falling behind 3-0.
Just 18 seconds after Walsh scored her second, Juliana Gonzales broke through to get the Warriors on the board. That goal served as a catalyst for the Wyoming Area offense, who were able to knot the game up at four before a Dallas goal right before the halftime buzzer gave the Mountaineers a 5-4 lead heading into the break.
Gonzales had two goals and an assist for the Warriors, and teammates Halle Kranson and Sofia Sabatini each scored twice, as well.
The second half was scoreless for over 15 minutes, due in part to some great work in net from both Dallas goalie Taylor Pickett and Warriors goalie Erica Gilligan.
The first goal to fall was an equalizer from Wyoming Area’s Lyla Rehill. Just a minute later, Kranson got one past Pickett to give the Warriors their first lead of the contest, 6-5 with 15:08 to play.
That would be the only lead Wyoming Area held, as Ireland Walsh’s goal at the 14:07 mark kicked off a stretch for Dallas that put the game away, turning a 6-5 deficit into what ultimately ended up a 10-7 victory.
“They pulled it together, for sure,” Bonomo said. “One of the things we’re working on this team is being able to communicate more, and I think we saw a lot of that today.”
In addition to the five combined goals from Ireland and Braylee Walsh, Dallas was also boosted by two-goal efforts from Leah Ricardo and Gabby Rogasky, and a goal from Emerson Rivera that gave the Mountaineers some much-needed breathing room in the game’s final minutes.