Girls' lacrosse crushes Watkins Mill

In the first home game of the season, Blair's girls' lacrosse team beat Watkins Mill 15-8.

Senior co-captain Ariel Wilchek led Blair's offense with five goals and one assist.

In the first minutes of the game, Blair and Watkins Mill appeared evenly matched. The ball traded sides numerous times but neither team was able to capitalize and score. Then, a little more than seven minutes into the game, Wilchek took the ball down the length of the field, dodged past defenders and snuck the ball past the Watkins Mill goalie.

Blair continued to dominate the first half, going on to score nine more goals. By the end of the first half, Blair led Watkins Mill 10-1.

In the second half, Watkins Mill came out with more intensity and pressure, making Blair work to keep their lead. The majority of Watkins Mill's goals were scored on 8 meters (penalty shots).

On defense, senior goalie Anna Benfield made numerous key saves to help protect Blair's lead. Senior Jamie Kovach's aggression and speed on defense halted the Watkins Mill offense.

On offense, senior co-captain Mairead Hunter and junior Erica Nowak each had three goals and one assist. Senior co-captains Beth Gula and Sarah Robinson scored two goals and one goal, respectively. Junior Lauren Finkel also scored a goal.

Although Watkins Mill outscored Blair in the second half 7-5, Coach Mike Horne was proud of the way Blair played. "We played as a team," he said. "We were a cohesive unit, and that's what we need to do on a consistent basis."

Blair's next game is March 30 at Einstein High School at 5:15 p.m.