Seahawks girls’ lax downs Ducks 25-5 in DIAA first round
Soaring to a 25-5 victory over Odessa in the first round of the 2024 DIAA Girls’ Lacrosse State Tournament, Sussex Academy has punched its ticket for the second round.
“I think we really showed up with the speed, and we were ready to play,” said Seahawks coach Taylor Gibbs. “We wanted to play a really fast game today and show up for all four quarters. We knew that was something we needed to do in order to move on.”
The Seahawks went down by one early, but stormed back to score eight unanswered goals, eventually taking a commanding 13-3 lead at the end of the first quarter.
“Seeing that the other team had scored a point, mentally for us, was a big shift,” Gibbs said. “We knew we really needed to lock in and be ready to answer back, and we were.”
Despite a running clock, Sussex Academy managed to score another 12 points over the next three quarters, conceding only two more to clinch the first-round victory 25-5.
Shelby Manlove (seven goals), Shea Danahy (five), Emiley Bisaha (four) and Liz Layton (four) all registered hat tricks. Callie Short scored two goals, and Julie Daniello, Rilyn Lehman and Elizabeth Merrick notched one each. Short led the team with five assists. Layton finished second with three assists, as 14 of the 25 goals came off helpers.
“We thrive off that momentum and we thrive off that energy,” Manlove said.
For Manlove, the seven goals meant a mention in the Sussex Academy history books, as the junior reached the 200-goal mark. Manlove was quick to thank her teammates for trusting her in the game.
“I think all my goals might have been assisted,” Manlove said. “I don't even know if I had any unassisted, so props to all my teammates for that.”
The junior added she could not have reached the 200 mark without the help of her teammates. Manlove said the focus of their practices manifested on the field as everything seemed to click. Finishing second on the team in goals, Danahy echoed Manlove’s thoughts on the efficient offense.
“We had a lot of strong fast breaks,” she said. “We know when to pass the ball, we know when to drive to goal, and we have a lot of strong, powerful factors on this team.”
The girls will look to avenge their May 8 loss at Ursuline when they head back to Serviam Field for their second-round game Saturday, May 18.
