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Girls lacrosse: Loyola starts strong, tops Hinsdale Central in state championship game

Facing a tough opponent on their home turf, the Loyola girls lacrosse team wanted a fast start in Saturday night's state championship. Mission accomplished.

The Ramblers jumped ahead of the Red Devils 4-0 on their way to an 8-2 lead at the half and a return to the top of girls lacrosse podium in the state of Illinois. After the strong start, Loyola finished off Hinsdale Central 13-8 to claim the program's 15th championship.

“Our game yesterday, it was hot and we came out flat. We knew today, we couldn't afford to come out flat so we had a good warmup, started out well and just carried it on,” Ramblers senior Riley Jenkins said.

The Marquette-bound Jenkins had 2 goals in the finals, while fellow senior Eileen Dooley — also headed to Marquette to play lacrosse — tallied a team-high 3 goals and also had an assist. Jenkins opened the night's scoring with an unassisted goal and made the score 4-0 just 5 minutes into the first half with a score off an assist from Keira Cushing.

Jenkins credited her teammates for another solid effort in draw controls, and for their resiliency to bounce back each time Hinsdale Central (21-5-1) tried to rally.

“The draws were huge, and I feel like we all worked really well together,” she said. “You've got to have a short memory. If we give up a goal or two we've got to find a way to come back at them. Get a draw or cause a turnover, whatever we have to do to get back.”

Dooley and Jenkins each reached 50 goals this season and each were named all-state. But the Ramblers, who will lose just three seniors to graduation, are strong throughout the lineup including in net, where goalie Tia Boyle — another all-stater — made 5 saves.

“You never know what's going to happen in a state championship game,” Ramblers veteran coach John Dwyer said. “We had a tough draw. We had to play New Trier at New Trier and we had to play Hinsdale [Central] at Hinsdale. We were up to it.”

Loyola, which closes out the year on a 13-0 run, had five different players score two goals to go along with Dooley's trio of scores. Emma Burke, Grace Dwyer, Cushing, Jenkins and Jocelyn Park each found the back of the net twice on Saturday.

For the Red Devils, this season ended with a third straight state trophy, but back-to-back tough runner-up finishes. Hinsdale Central took third in 2021.

“It's really frustrating to come here again and not make it, to be that close,” Notre Dame-bound senior Angie Conley said. “But again, I'm still so happy to be a part of this team. I wish my fellow seniors well in all of their endeavors.”

Conley was part of last year's squad that lost 12-11 to New Trier in overtime in the state championship squad. She did all she could this year to get her team back to the finals, piling up 70 goals and 64 assists heading into the state finals. Conley and Reese Napier each scored 3 goals against Loyola, with Napier adding to her team-high total which stood at 78 goals before the weekend.

Ari Tavoso, one of the team's captains, expects the returning Red Devils to learn from Saturday's outcome. She was one of four Hinsdale Central players to score in the finals.

“I think this loss is really going to set the tone for the girls next year,” said Tavoso, who will continue her playing career at the University of California-Berkley. “You saw all the emotions, I saw all our girls crying. That's when you know how much this means to them. It means so much. Last year, overtime on this exact same field, it's super personal. It stinks that we couldn't finish but we all fought ... everyone did a really good job trying to rally back.”

  Hinsdale Central's Ari Tavoso carries the ball during the girls state lacrosse championship game against Loyola Academy in Hinsdale Saturday. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
  Loyola Academy's Emma Burke, left, shoots on a play defended by Hinsdale Central's Peyton Moncrief, middle, and Ari Tvoso during the girls state lacrosse championship in Hinsdale Saturday. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
  Loyola Academy's Eileen Dooley scores as she gets between Hinsdale Central's Ari Tavoso, left, and Amelia Sowers during the girls state lacrosse championship in Hinsdale Saturday. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
  Loyola Academy's Emma Burke, left, and Hinsdale Central's Logan O'Connor pursue a loose ball during the girls state lacrosse championship in Hinsdale Saturday. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
  Loyola Academy players celebrate their victory over Hinsdale Central during the girls state lacrosse championship in Hinsdale Saturday. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
  Hinsdale Central players including Ari Tavoso, middle, and Parker Matthews, right, react to their team's loss to Loyola Academy during the girls state lacrosse championship in Hinsdale Saturday. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
  Hinsdale Central players celebrate a goal by Angie Conley (17) during the girls state lacrosse championship in Hinsdale Saturday. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
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