Category: Home Instead Senior Care Game of the Week

by Brian Salgado

Arrowhead Red Heads to Fifth-Straight State Title Game

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

by Brian Salgado

Shorthanded Franklin Defeats Arrowhead White to Continue State Title Quest

Injuries to key starters and steamy weather conditions could have been a recipe for an upset in the second-round matchup between Franklin and Arrowhead White girls lacrosse teams.

But the healthy Sabers – the No. 4 team in the state – managed to step up for injured starters sophomore Kendra Haselow and senior Bella Barnard and soundly defeated the Lady Warhawks 12-4. The Sabers advance to host Waunakee Saturday.

“It’s really hot and we’re a bit low on numbers,” coach Jill Kyhn said. “For us to be running a limited number of girls in this heat, we played unbelievably well.”

Franklin (13-3) jumped out to a big lead in the first half and never looked back. Sophomore middie/attack Jillian Krueger led the charge, scoring four of her game-high five goals in the first half. Senior middie/attack Allie Marion scored three goals in the game, as well.

“We played really disciplined ball, which is critical, especially when you’re low on subs in this heat,” Kyhn said. “When we get off to a good start, we tend to stay good. It builds so much confidence.”

Along with Krueger and Marion’s scoring barrage, Kyhn credited the players who filled in admirably for Haselow and Barnard. Haselow tore her ACL against Mukwonago May 10, and Barnard twisted her ankle representing Team Wisconsin on the East Coast over Memorial Day weekend.

In Barnard’s place, senior Brianna Tobin stepped up to play significant minutes at middie – a position she hadn’t played much this year. Sophomore Lauren Schwartz pitched in, as well, by stepping into the draw circle versus Arrowhead White (5-10) without missing a beat.

“We have a bunch of players that can play multiple positions,” Marion said. “So for us seniors, that was a big role they had on their shoulders, and we appreciate it a lot.”

Despite the heat and the shortened bench, the Sabers pulled out the victory to extend the season for at least one more game for the outgoing Kyhn and the class of 2018. Even though they earned the No. 4 seed and a first-round bye, the Sabers want to prove they are among the state’s elite programs.

“There were a bunch of things that happened this season where people were overlooking us,” Krueger said. “We’re excited to show what we’re made of and what Franklin lacrosse has to offer.”

Each week WisconsinLacrosse.com will highlight a select game from around the State of Wisconsin. Made possible by a donation from Home Instead Senior Care

by Brian Salgado

Franklin Seniors, Kyhn Go Out with a Victory

Jill Kyhn has always had a plan in place for her Franklin girls lacrosse team since launching the program four years ago.

She wanted to put the Sabers in position to win a state title, which tonight’s 9-4 victory over Whitefish Bay/Nicolet/Shorewood definitely accomplished.

She also wanted to develop a strong youth feeder program for the high school squad, and the pipeline of talent flowing into the Sabers varsity team has proven successful.

Kyhn also had an exit strategy in place, knowing the program would flourish under the watchful eye of a former player ready join the coaching ranks. This final part of the plan was revealed after Franklin’s win over the Wolfpack when Kyhn acknowledged she would step down at the end of the season. Current assistant coach Julianna Schearer will take over as head coach for the 2019 season.

“This is my last senior night, so it was a bittersweet night,” Kyhn said. “You get to the point where they need that former player’s insight. When we brought Jules on this year, that was the next step.

“I also have a daughter who is going to be a senior that hasn’t seen me for the last five springs,” Kyhn added.

It wasn’t exactly clear from the start that Franklin (12-4, 11-2 Classic 8 Conference) would send the program’s founder and the class of 2018 off with a win. A defensive struggle ensued for nearly the entire first half, but senior middie Cassie Allard broke the drought with a goal with 5 minutes, 46 seconds left before intermission.

She would score again with 2:25 to play in the first half. That goal started 5-0 run for the Sabers that would give them the lead for good. Allard finished a game-high three goals.

“I thought we really executed on both offense and defense, and we really played as a team,” Allard said. “That’s what made us come out on top.”

Although they typically rely on a man-to-man defensive scheme, the Sabers switched to a zone-backer defense to disrupt WNS (12-3, 10-2). The strategy worked as Franklin held the Wolfpack to their lowest scoring output of the season. (WNS also scored four goals in a non-conference loss earlier this season.)

“It was pretty compact in there, and we got a lot of sticks on passes,” Kyhn said. “When we got those knockdowns, we got the ground balls, as well.”

Senior middie Allie Marion closed out her Franklin career with two goals. Sophomore middie Lauren Flemma scored two of the Wolfpack’s four goals.

This game concluded the regular season for Franklin and WNS. They await their seedings for the state tournament, which will be announced Friday. The tournament begins next week.

Each week WisconsinLacrosse.com will highlight a select game from around the State of Wisconsin. Made possible by a donation from Home Instead Senior Care

by Brian Salgado

Youthful Arrowhead Continues Winning Tradition in 2018

The Arrowhead girls lacrosse program has become the model for teams throughout Wisconsin by riding the experience of its upperclassmen leadership.

But this season, the Warhawks leaned heavily on their freshman class. So, naturally, it took an overtime goal by freshman attacker Kylee Manser to defeat Whitefish Bay/Nicolet/Shorewood, 6-5, to keep Arrowhead’s undefeated Classic 8 record intact for its 11th conference title in 12 season.

“Personally, I get emotional about it,” Arrowhead coach Tom Truttschel said. “We have the youngest team we’ve ever had with four freshmen. I haven’t had a freshman on this team since 2012. So what we’ve got coming up in terms of talent is tremendous.”

Manser may be young for the Arrowhead varsity squad, but she has talent to spare. She and classmate Erin Rivard are members of Team Wisconsin, an elite group of about 20 athletes representing the state nationwide.

WNS took a 3-2 lead into halftime, but Arrowhead opened up the second half with three unanswered goals. Arrowhead junior middie Coryn Tomala capped off the run a goal of the game at 16 minute, 33 seconds in the second half.

Sophomore middie Lauren Flemma tied the game at five for WNS by scoring two of her three goals in the second half, depositing the equalizer with 9:57 left in regulation.

The teams held each other in check until Manser scored the game winner with 1:17 left to play in overtime.

“I think it’s really awesome just knowing we can rely on [the freshmen] all the time, and they are going to make us better, too,” said Arrowhead junior middie Jacklyn Batley, who scored the Warhawks’ fourth goal of the game in the second half.

Despite the loss, WNS coach Meredith Donaldson knows her team is ready to take the next step after watching the Wolfpack keep pace with Arrowhead.

“In large part, there are some fundamental things we need to work on as a team to continue to grow,” she said. “I just expect that we’ll get them when it counts – in the state championship.”

WNS senior goalie Lia Oren finished the game with 13 saves. Junior goalie Abby Rick saved seven shots for Arrowhead.

Each week WisconsinLacrosse.com will highlight a select game from around the State of Wisconsin. Made possible by a donation from Home Instead Senior Care