Western needed to find some other players who could make offensive plays since teams were locking up reigning co-state player of the year L.P. Desch.
They found two of them Thursday.
Madeline DuCharme struck first to even the contest in the first half and with less than 13 minutes to play in the game, Darilla Evans buried a shot to lift the Warriors to a 2-1 win.
“This was our strongest game as a unit,” said Western coach Mia Fields. “Our girls are gaining confidence in their skills. They’re more willing to hold onto the ball a little longer and make a pass instead of going through L.P.”
Orange played Desch straight up for the most part where other teams have double or triple teamed the star. That allowed the Warriors to better operate, but Jordan Haws’ intensity seemed to set the tone for Western. Haws picked up a warning and a yellow card for aggressive play, but her determination forced Orange into several turnovers and helped create DuCharme’s goal where Haws picked up an assist.
“I think she out-hustles everybody in this whole league,” Fields said. “She will give you everything she’s got every play. She is all over the place.”
Orange got a desperately needed goal against Western when Olivia Newman scored less than 18 minutes left in the first half, but the timing immediately left an impression on coach Tricia Grabeel.
“I was almost like, ‘oh my gosh that’s too soon,” Grabeel said. “You can’t just fall back and play defense with Western you’ve still got to keep plugging along.”
And Orange didn’t just settle in. They kept challenging Western, who was playing some of its best hockey on the year, all over the field.
“I was happy to see we weren’t complacent,” Grabeel said.
After Evans tallied the second Western goal off an Emma Weiss blast into the circle, Orange got a number of short corner chances in the closing minutes but a couple of infractions quickly ended those opportunities.
Western solidified their spot atop the district rankings with the victory, and Orange will have to wait until the district tournament for a possible shot at a rematch. The Hornets head to Louisa County Wednesday, while Western has a key rematch with Monticello Thursday
