Fort Mill girls’ lacrosse heads to Upper State title game; Clover, Catawba Ridge fall

The first two rounds of the 2021 lacrosse state playoffs went in the books this week, and only one of the eight area teams that started the postseason is still alive in the hunt for a state championship.

Here’s what you need to know.

Fort Mill girls stay in state title chase

In girls’ 5A, the Fort Mill Yellow Jackets claimed a pair of wins to make their way to the Upper State Championship game on Monday.

Fort Mill defeated the Nation Ford Falcons 15-6 in the opening round. It was the Jackets’ third win of the year against the Falcons, who finished the season wth a 7-6 mark.

In the second round, they took an 11-1 lead at intermission and routed JL Mann 17-1 to earn a spot in the final four. Alexa Strelick and Auri French led the way in the second round contest with five goals each, and the Yellow Jackets turned in another solid effort on defense.

The two wins improved Fort Mill to 13-4 on the year. They will travel to Riverside on Monday for the Upper State title game.

The Yellow Jackets were runners up in the last full lacrosse season in 2019.

“This team has done so well because they play as a team and can rely on one another,” said head coach Kirsten Terry. “They know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and will always go the extra mile to make sure their teammate shines.”

The Yellow Jackets are scoring 14 goals per game, while allowing just less than eight per outing. Their offense is very balanced with five players scoring more than 25 goals on the year.

French, who is a junior, leads with 44, while sophomore Lydia Laney has 41. Sophomore Natalie Michelow follows with 40. Strelick, who is a junior, has 39, and junior Emma Marchan has scored 28.

The key to continue winning it all is simple, Terry said.

“We have to continue playing with grit, and we have to want it,” she added. “ As long as we keep believing in ourselves the only place to go is up.”

Other results

▪ The Clover girls’ lacrosse team split a pair of postseason games: The Blue Eagles opened the playoffs by beating Mauldin 19-2. They dropped an 18-4 decision to Riverside in the second round of action and completed the season with a record of 7-6.

▪ The Catawba Ridge girls’ lacrosse team lost to Lucy Beckham, 21-4. That ended their season with a record of 2-9.

▪ In boys 5A, both Fort Mill and the Clover split a pair of playoff games: Fort Mill broke a 5-5 deadlock at halftime and toppled Nation Ford 11-10 in two overtimes in the first round. They lost to J. L. Mann 11-4 in the second round and finished the season with a mark of 10-5. Nation Ford’s final record was 11-4.

Clover, meanwhile, went on the road and defeated Mauldin 17-7 in the opening round of play. The team then dropped an 8-5 decision to JL Mann in the second round of action and completed the year with a record of 8-5.

▪ In 4A Catawba Ridge dropped a 19-4 decision to Oceanside Collegiate. That completed their season with a mark of 4-11.