In a game that VAR ATX deemed the “biggest Girls’ Lax game of [the] regular [season]” the Trojans beat the Chaps by a score of 18-12. The victory bumped Anderson up to #2 in the Texas Girls’ Lacrosse rankings. The Trojans may have been 7-0-0 before, but they proved their dominance last night. While Westlake and Anderson didn’t face each other last season, the teams are widely considered to be the two best in Central Texas. This always makes for an interesting, hard-fought matchup between the teams, and the fact that Anderson came away with a big victory over the Chaps is ever-important.
The Trojans led by 10 at the half, earning a 15-5 advantage through the first 25 minutes. While Westlake outscored the Trojans 7-3 in the second half, it wasn’t enough to overcome the lead that Anderson built early in the game. This continues a theme of strong starts for Anderson this season as they’ve outscored opponents 85-15 in first halves through 8 games.
The Trojans’ explosive offense was headed up by Annie Small last night. The senior midfielder had 7 goals and 8 points to lead the way for Anderson. Harper Jones added to her team lead in goals with another 5, and Chloe Page had 4 goals and 2 assists as well. Attackers Veena Patel and Laney Owens continued to distribute the ball well, adding a combined 3 assists.
The game was very even in many facets with Westlake winning the faceoff battle 16-15 and picking up 2 more groundballs than the Trojans. Anderson Goalie Emma Bethke had a narrowly better save percentage than Westlake’s Alex Clarkson, .294 to .280. The difference in the contest came down to shots on goal where the Trojans held a 26-18 advantage. 8 more shots meant 6 more goals for Anderson, and that’s how they defeated the Chaps.
While Westlake’s star player, Mia Jensen, was able to get going with 7 goals and a game-leading 9 points, the rest of the Chaps combined for just 5 goals. The Trojans were able to effectively shut down the rest of the team, and one player can’t always carry you to victory in a sport like lacrosse.
When two great teams play just 8 miles away from each other, a rivalry is often bred, and in high school, each game matters that much more. Anderson got a huge victory last night and will look to take that momentum into the game against Lamar on Saturday, and a trip to Colorado against Dakota Ridge and Denver East, two teams ranked in the top 30 in Colorado next weekend.
