Patriots roll to state semifinals

By Liz Keller

Published: May 30, 2008

Margaret Moss and the rest of the Albemarle girls lacrosse team know a little about the laws of nature — mainly that one thing leads to another.
In its state quarterfinal game against Westfield with a tied game, the Patriots saw an opportunity and seized it.
“We start at 0-0 each half. If we get the first draw, we get the
momentum,” said Moss. “Someone sets the tone and gets us going — everything is just good from there and it [usually] leads to a goal. It’s a chain reaction.”
Albemarle, fueled by Moss, reeled off five unanswered goals in the second half and held off a pesky Westfield team, 12-9, on Friday night to advance to the state semifinals.
Albemarle (16-2), which secured the Northwest Region championship earlier this week, will face Chantilly next Wednesday at Westfield High School.
Moss jumpstarted the Patriots in the second half with a pair of goals and three assists during the critical run. In fact, Moss had a hand in 10 of the team’s 12 goals, finishing with four goals and six assists to pace the home team.
Albemarle led 5-4 at halftime, but it took all of 18 seconds in the second half for the Bulldogs to erase the deficit. After winning the opening draw control, Meredythe Fallon notched the quick goal to tie the game.
Then it was Albemarle’s turn. The Patriots won the next draw, and the speedy Moss deftly made her way down field for the wide open shot to set things in motion.
AHS followed with a score from Courtney Elliott on a pass from Moss, and then Moss, the team’s leading scorer, notched another goal. Moss delivered two perfect passes to Rachel Hochstetler and Mallory Cain for scores as the Patriots took the commanding 10-5 lead.
“That’s the Margaret Moss that has been the same Margaret Moss all year for us,” said Albemarle coach David Sloan. “She’s a senior, and she’s on a mission. It’s her time to show really what is the result of hard work. Today she played with poise and maturity, and that’s a tough combination when you’re as good as she is.”
Albemarle extended its lead to 12-6 with goals from Kathleen Frechette and Mason Wood before the Bulldogs began a scoring spurt of their own.
Amanda O’Sullivan quickly scored three straight goals for Westfield to cut the lead in half, but Albemarle’s defense clamped down in the closing minutes.
The Patriots got another outstanding performance from goalkeeper Erin Jablonski, who recorded 18 saves.
Not to be outdone was Westfield’s keeper, Emily McClelland, who faced a barrage of shots from the balanced Albemarle attack, and finished with 15 saves.
“[Albemarle’s] goalie played extremely well. We put a lot of shots on them, and she was tough and we knew she would be,” said Westfield coach Jim Dwyer. “[Moss], even with the defense we had on her, had some excellent shots. Both teams played extremely well and we just came out on the short end.”