There were a couple of losses along the way during the regular season and district tournament. But once the Langley Saxons entered the 6D North Region tourney, it was business (and success) as usual for the girls high-school lacrosse team.
Langley (14-2) won its third straight region crown by convincingly defeating the host Yorktown Patriots, 14-5, in the May 27 championship game. Langley was 3-0 in the tourney, blowing out Westfield, 19-1, in the first round then topping Madison, 15-8, in the semifinals.
Just days earlier, Langley lost to Yorktown in the Liberty District tournament-championship match by a 10-6 score, before turning the tables in the region final. Langley first beat Yorktown, 14-11, during the regular season.
The difference in the region final, according to first-year Langley coach Lauren Burke, was a big want to win.
“We came out really confident and we had the right determination and didn’t want to be denied,” Burke said. “That loss to them earlier fired us up a lot.”
Burke said the Saxons made some “little” adjustments for the match, but another big key was playing well on the defensive end.”
In the region final, after falling behind 1-0, Langley scored the next three goals and were ahead the rest of the way. Leading 7-5 early in the second half, Langley netted the game’s final seven goals, shutting out Yorktown over the final 18 minutes and 17 seconds.
For the Saxons, goalie Kelsey Melton made a half-dozen saves to earn the win in net, with Keelin Byrne and Sophia Horowitz leading the back-line defense.
Offensively for Langley, Julia Daly and Katie Mahoney led the way with three goals each. Katherine Senich and Corinne Jaggard netted two each. Scoring one each were Caroline Senich, Peyton West, Sarah Waits and Lizzie DeMoors.
“We really trusted each other in this game, we executed well, we were patient, and we weren’t going to let up,” said Katherine Senich, who will play lacrosse in college, along with her twin sister Caroline Senich, at Drexel University. “That earlier loss to Yorktown lit a fire and really got us charged up.”
Next for Langley is the Virginia High School League’s Class 6 state tournament, a title the team has won the past two times it was held, in 2021 and 2019, under former coach Bucky Morris. The Saxons have a first-round match June 3 or 4. Morris is now the head girls coach at Georgetown Visitation private school in D.C.
Langley has finished second in the state three times, the last in 2018.
NOTES: Making first-team all-region for Langley were Daly as an attack, Waits as a midfielder and Byrne as a defender. Second-teamers from Langley were Caroline Senich as a midfielder and Horowitz as a defender. Oakton’s Aly Yee-Jenkins was the region’s Player of the Year. Oakton was 1-1 in the region tourney . . . As far as all-Liberty District honors, Waits was the Player of the Year and other first-teamers from Langley were Caroline Senich, Horowitz and Byrne. Second-teamers were Melton, Jaggard Mahoney, Katherine Senich and Anna Talbot. Honorable-mentions were DeMoors, West and Peyton Daley.