Hanover, Freeman fall in girls lacrosse finals

You would think a program playing in its sixth consecutive Class 5 state girls lacrosse championship game would have nerves like steel. But with only two senior starters, would the Douglas Freeman Mavericks be ready for the moment in a title game rematch against Riverside?

In spite of a quick start by the Rams, Douglas Freeman was in very familiar territory. 

“That’s been our schtick this season. I was as cool as a cucumber and I think our girls were very relaxed saying, okay, this is what happens,” Mavericks head coach Christina D’Angelo noted. “Our team usually takes about a quarter to feel out a game.”

Thus, no panic when the Rams scored four times in under four minutes for a 6-2 advantage after one period. When back-to-back goals to start the second by Emma Hopgood and Ursula Borgerson were answered by Riverside to give them a 7-5 halftime lead, D’Angelo’s squad regrouped and came out firing.

There are few games in any sport where one play stands out above the rest. Unfortunately, for the Mavericks, one did.

After goals by VCU commit Hannah Kantanen and Mikaela Gilbert tied the match at seven, Douglas Freeman had the ball looking for its first lead.

Gilbert attacked to the right of the point, found an opening, and hurled a shot toward Riverside goalkeeper Tamara Abuziad, just as teammate Emerson Beazley made a cut to the front of the net. The ball hit Beazley, shaking her up momentarily.

During the official timeout, a yellow card was assessed to Gilbert, described to the Maverick bench as a dangerous shot. Being her second yellow, Gilbert headed to the sideline. 

“We thought it was her leg. We didn’t see a ricochet,” D’Angelo explained. “She was fine, but then they called the yellow card, we all were like, what?”

For the final twenty-two minutes of the contest, the Mavericks never stopped battling, but the hill became a mountain as the Rams scored twice late in the third, once early in the fourth, then held off a gutsy Maverick charge to win the championship by a 10-7 count.

“Honestly, I was proud of holding them off for so long after that,” D’Angelo said.

Credit first must go to junior Inna Erbe and the Maverick defense. Knowing their offense was now hampered, Erbe gave her teammates several chances to turn the game in their favor. Erbe completed the game with seven saves.

“She gave us ample opportunities to get that game under control, if not at least tie it for overtime,” D’Angelo opined.

But credit also must go to Riverside’s defense. The Mavericks were in their offensive zone for two minutes after the Rams’ final tally, but effectively clogged the inside and denied spin moves by Douglas Freeman. With good precision, the Rams used their speed to force the Mavericks into the perimeter, then raced back to deny in front of Abuziad.

The Mavs offense stormed back down the field, spending another three minutes on the attack. Borgerson’s shot near the end of the stretch bounced off the post. The effort was there, the results desired were not.

In retrospect, D’Angelo said a hard lesson was learned by both her and her Mavericks.

“I was shocked that we couldn’t pull it off. When you’re getting a free shot from the cage and you can’t finish that, at that level, it’s not your day.”

And there’s something else she and the returning Mavericks can use as motivation come 2027.

“Sometimes losses go further in life. They’re going to remember that. There was definitely a sense of humility,” D’Angelo proclaimed. “We were about as sloppy as we’ve been all season….we beat ourselves.”

The Mavericks end with a 20-2 mark and a bitter taste of what it’s like to be on the losing end of two straight title tilts. Freeman’s first two championships, in 2021 and 2022, were wins over the Rams. With an impressive returning nucleus returning Borgerson, who led the Mavericks with three goals, Erbe, Gilbert and others, it will take a tough team to deny these girls a seventh trip to the big stage.

Hawks fall in first-ever title game appearance

Also Saturday afternoon, the historic ride of Hanover girls lacrosse ended in the Class 4 state championship as a back and forth game was seized by three-time defending champion Western Albemarle in the third period, turning a one-goal halftime edge into a six-goal lead en route to a 14-6 victory in Leesburg.

The Hawks were making their first-ever state title game appearance after winning two one-goal affairs in the state quarterfinal and semifinal rounds. Hanover kept pace with the Warriors, playing in their seventh consecutive state championship match.

Class 4, Region A player of the year Molly Quinn led the Hawks’ charge, keeping them close with a tally midway through period two to cut the deficit to 4-3. The junior led Hanover with four goals. Addie Marshall and Emily Lawrence scored one each.

But Annie Alhusen was key to positioning Western Albemarle for the match, scoring as time expired in the first and near the end of the second quarter to give the Warriors the lead for good. Their defense took center stage in the second stanza, allowing just one Hanover tally, coming with 7:04 remaining.

It was a difficult task for the newcomers to the title game to try to end the three-year run of the Warriors. But Hanover can be proud of the accomplishments in 2026 that have set up the program for years to come.