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Girls lacrosse: Defending state champs top St. Charles

Making it to the girls state lacrosse tournament is hard enough.

But try playing the defending champions in the semifinals.

Now, add playing them on their home field.

That was the predicament for the St. Charles co-op team Friday at Hinsdale Central, which won the title a year ago by defeating north shore powers Loyola and New Trier.

The 16-8 final score in favor of the Red Devils, however, isn't indicative of the effort St. Charles put in, even when there was a running clock midway through the second half.

There was senior midfielder Maddie Wiltrout, scoring all 4 of her goals in the final 14:22 of the contest - two on free position shots. The last, with 8 seconds left, was the most impressive, as Wiltrout drove left to right and deposited a shot in the center of the net.

There was senior attack Tahlia Townsend, scoring on another shot in the center with 6:42 remaining, with an assist from fellow senior attack Makayla Thomas, who herself scored 3 times.

In other words, there was no end to the fight for St. Charles (16-3), who will play Glenbrook South at noon Saturday for third place.

"I think it was about staying mentally strong and making sure every single player on our team was ready for what's to come and keep everybody excited and pumped up for it," said Wiltrout, who scored 4 times on 6 total shots.

Added Thomas, who scored 3 times on 8 shot attempts: "I would say we went into this with nothing to lose, so leaving everything out on the field. No regrets."

Hinsdale Central asserted itself early, jumping out to a 5-0 lead with 16:22 remaining in the first half. The Red Devils' defense was tough, allowing but one shot with punch from St. Charles, a blast from Thomas center about 6 yards out which was corralled by Hinsdale Central goalkeeper Megan Steffey.

Thomas did get St. Charles on the board about a minute later on a free position shot from the right arc, but the Red Devils scored twice before she was able to tally again, at 9:50. On that play, she drove center, nearly fell, stepped over a defender and went top shelf into the net.

But then Hinsdale Central booked five goals in a row which essentially put the game away, save for the furious comeback attempt by St. Charles late.

"The fact that we could come back in the second half, to have these girls not give up, I think is huge," St. Charles co-head coach Jordyn McFarlane said. "I think it's something to say that we were down 12-2 at halftime and these girls weren't done.

"This is a building block. This is our first time at state. It's taking these small wins and the scoreboard didn't reflect what we wanted to do, but we accomplished a great goal and I think this is something the girls will remember the rest of their lives."

Hinsdale Central coach Dan Hartman was very aware of St. Charles' propensity for speed.

"We prepare for teams like that," Hartman said. "No. 1 (Thomas) on their team was a very good player and I thought we were able to match her speed, but if you're to defeat something like that, it's a total defensive effort."

Hinsdale Central outshot St. Charles 25-19. Senior attack Kristiana Strtak scored 5 times, while junior midfielder Jenna Collignon added 4.

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