Overtime goal lifts Granville girls lacrosse to win against DeSales
GRANVILLE — A storm delay and overtime were not going to stop the Granville girls lacrosse team Thursday from doing something the Blue Aces have not done in a decade.
Granville slayed Goliath as senior Amelia Sarap’s seventh goal gave the host Blue Aces a 12-11 overtime victory against state power DeSales at Walter J. Hodges Stadium. The Stallions have been a nemesis for the Blue Aces since the program’s previous win in 2012.
“We came together as a team after we kind of fell apart coming out of the second half, but we told each other, ‘Play with heart when you get tired and do it for each other.’ We had to be there for each other,” Sarap said.
Sarap, the Central Michigan signee, was the hero, taking an outlet pass from junior Bella Rockwell and scoring around and over multiple DeSales defenders. She plenty of help, too.
Senior goalie Grace Lilly made two game-saving saves after fouls by Granville. Her first with less than two minutes left in regulation slowed a DeSales charge to help force overtime, and she made another during the first minute of overtime, setting up the Blue Aces’ transition opportunity.
“(Lilly) is a great goalie,” Sarap said. “We love to see her make those amazing stops. We get a jump of joy. We get a bunch of energy coming through us that gets us transitioning down to offense.”
Sarap’s second consecutive match of seven goals led Granville’s charge to an 8-4 lead, but it was just 9-8 when a storm halted the match with 10 minutes left.
Sarap and Rockwell scored following the delay to give Granville (2-0) an 11-8 lead with five minutes left. DeSales (1-2), however, roared back to tie the match with three goals in a 90-second span.
“I’m so proud of what we did today. It was so incredible,” said Lilly, getting choked up by the emotion. “I was so nervous going into that. I felt like I didn’t have a great game, but those saves just — sorry, I am so overwhelmed.”
Senior Kyra Studer added two goals and two assists, and juniors Gabby Graves and Olivia Graves each scored. Lilly made six saves with classmates Sarah Overly, Maddy Kurek and Ella Hoover and junior Bella Rockwell helping to protect the net.”
“(Lilly) kept her composure. I am super proud of her,” Granville coach Tara Parsley said. “She has worked year-round for a long time. This is her opportunity to show what she’s capable of. She did exactly what we needed.”
Granville graduated just four from last season, which ended on a high note as the Blue Aces had a 10-game winning streak and reached the Division II regional semifinals for the first time.
The Blue Aces have several multi-sport athletes, so they tend to be slow starting. They, however, have come firing out of the gates, knocking off the Stallions after a dominant 16-2 victory against Gahanna last Saturday.
“We’ve really focused a lot on defense, and it showed,” Parsley said. “We know we have a lot of shooters, and they are rusty. That will come, but if we can keep up with a strong defense — I was really proud of the lack of major fouls. We did a lot of good things, and the ball drops and the turnovers will slowly disappear.”
Spring break could slow the momentum a little bit as the Blue Aces do not resume their schedule until April 11 at Big Walnut. They might still be riding this high.
“Our endurance has incredibly improved,” Lilly said. “We have stuck with it through the games and stuck with it through practice and came together. It has just been a great start.”
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