All it took was that first goal to set the tone for the Arrowhead Red girls lacrosse team on Tuesday night.
When junior middie Coryn Tormala scored on a pass from senior middie Abbey Lippold just 21 seconds in the the Warhawks’ state semifinal game against visiting Franklin, Arrowhead Red coach Tom Truttschel knew his youthful squad would be brimming with confidence the rest of the way.
The Warhawks rode that wave throughout the entire game, never trailing the Sabers en route to an 8-6 victory that sent Truttschel to his fifth straight state championship game and seventh overall.
“We talked about having a strong start, and that’s just what we needed,” Truttschel said. “It just builds confidence among the team.”
With its long history of success in Wisconsin girls lacrosse, Arrowhead Red (16-3) rarely has been short on confidence as a program. However, the Warhawks have been short on experience considering the Red roster features freshman for the first time since 2012.
The upperclassmen took over this game for Arrowhead as Tormala finished the game with four goals, including three goals in the first seven minutes of the second half.
“She really ignited the beginning of the game and the beginning of the second half,” Tormala said.
Tormala and Lippold were joined by junior middie Jacklyn Batley to give Arrowhead a significant advantage in the draws. The Warhawks won roughly 70 percent of the draws against Franklin (13-4).
The defense and goalie junior Abby Rick did their part for the Warhawks, who eventually held a 7-2 lead with 16 minutes, 28 seconds in the second half.
However, it looked as if the momentum was about to shift for Franklin as the first half came to a close. With about 2 minutes left before halftime, Arrowhead Red found itself in a player-down situation, and the Sabers brought the pressure. The Warhawks responded by disrupting three shots that veered far from the goal.
“It’s always nerve wracking to be a player down, but I didn’t even realize we were down,” Rick said. “We have a really good system to keep everyone on the ball and make sure we have the cutters picked up.”
Franklin coach Jill Kyhn admitted her squad fell victim to the pressure of facing a perennial powerhouse like Arrowhead Red, which disrupted the discipline and ball control the Sabers had been known for in 2018. It also didn’t help that a handful of Franklin’s shots on goal clanged off the pipes.
With the loss, Kyhn’s tenure as coach of the program she launched is one game away from ending. She will coach her last game for the Sabers Friday afternoon in the state third-place game at Carroll University in Waukesha. Kyhn also announced that senior defender Amanda Wachter won the 2018 Jackie Pitts Award as the top senior in Wisconsin.
Arrowhead advances to play University School for the 2018 state championship. Opening draw takes place Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Carroll University’s Schneider Stadium in Waukesha.
This season WisconsinLacrosse.com highlighted a select game each week from around the State of Wisconsin. Made possible by a donation from Home Instead Senior Care
