Bruin Girls Back For Fourth Straight Title Push

Early in the second quarter of Friday’s 4A girls lacrosse state semifinal, Broadneck sophomore midfielder Nora Lopes chased down an errant pass. Applying the redefend doggedly, Lopes snagged a Walt Whitman clearance out of mid-air and, without hesitating, raced the other way and rifled a shot past the Whitman goalie.

In that moment, the entire energy of the semifinal match changed: after a nip-tuck first period, Broadneck finally had precious momentum, and with it a little breathing room.

The Bruins wouldn’t yield either again, building a massive lead on a nine-goal run and seeing off Whitman 16-8 to advance to the state championship game for the fourth year running.

Broadneck trailed 2-0 midway through the first quarter but turned that into a 9-2 lead late in the second and never looked back.

“We had a pretty good understanding of some of the things they wanted to do. I think it was more about our offense finding some openings and chemistry, and as soon as they put a couple in, the momentum totally shifted,” said Broadneck coach Katy Kelley. “We just had to find our way. They were really into this game, so I think it was getting that high just to the level (we) set, and just play Broadneck lacrosse.”

Once they withstood Whitman’s opening push, the Bruins just did that, leaning heavily on a stout defense and waiting for the right opportunities to strike.

Sienna Miller had five goals and two assists for Broadneck, while Lily Trout scored four times. Olivia Orso added three goals, while there was one each for Ceci Facciponti, Susanna Moore and Cayman Holmes — Holmes added four assists, while Facciponti and Lopes each had an assist.

“We don’t want to just switch things up for one game, we’re just looking to play our game and keep playing hard. That’s just always how I’ve played. I like to set other people up,” said Holmes. “I think I was just playing with confidence and giving it my all. You never know when it’s your last game.”

Broadneck now knows its last game: Thursday against Urbana, in a 6:00pm game at Stevenson University. It’s there that the Bruins will attempt to win their fourth straight state championship.

The road has been up-and-down, but Broadneck will end the season where they have in years past, and the current players will draw on that experience.

“It’s really just been a ride. When we mess up, we go back and fix it, and we play the next game. Even if you lose, you just have to pick it back up and keep going,” said Miller. “We’re pushing just as hard, and we have the same potential as last year.”