Washington state girls lacrosse title game

MERCER ISLAND – Katie Bucy scored the game winner with under a minute to play lifting Issaquah to an 11 – 10 win over the Lake Sammamish Lacrosse Club to capture the 2014 Washington Lacrosse Girls State Championship, Friday before 1,173 at Islander Stadium on Mercer Island.

Bucy, a Skyline High School senior who will play NCAA lacrosse next year at Missouri’s Lindenwood University, delivered the state championship goal on a free position shot after a goal just seconds earlier was disallowed on a shooting-space violation.

“That’s the biggest goal ever,” Bucy said while celebrating the victory with teammates from Skyline, Issaquah and Liberty High Schools. “It was hit or miss and this one was a hit.”

In a game where goals tied it on six different occasions including a Lake Sammamish goal with less then two minutes remaining in the half by Lake Washington High School senior Sarah Wyrich that made it 6 -6, Issaquah always found a way to prevail.

In the second, the run-and-gun offensive showing of the first slowed to a methodical chess match without a score for over eight-and-a-half minutes.

With Lake Sammamish holding a two-player advantage following slashing calls on Issaquah’s Suzy Emerson and Jordan Hepperle, Woodinville senior Alex Johnson struck the first of three Lake Sammamish goals at 16:11 of the quarter that eventually extended the lead to 9 – 6.

Emerson, back in the game, then hit her fifth of the night with 9:23 remaining to narrow the gap to 9 – 7. Nicole Victory hit the next two followed by a Meg Corscaden goal with 2:00 to go putting Issaquah up by one at 10 – 9.

Lake Sammamish’s Madelyn Hunter then knotted the game for the sixth time at 10 – 10 just 10 seconds later before Bucy found herself in scoring position for Issaquah.

For Lake Sammamish, a team of student-athletes from the Northshore and Lake Washington School Districts, the game was a disappointment after falling the previous two seasons in the state title game to Bainbridge and the Lakeside School.

“Our seniors fought so hard for this one,” said Lake Sammamish coach Tony D’Alessio, one of the winnings coaches in Washington state with 64 wins and just 14 losses in his fourth season at the helm of the Lake Sammamish program.

“You knew it was going to come down to whoever had the ball last,” he said.

Emerson led Issaquah with five goals and three draw controls, while Victory and Corscaden each had two.

Lake Sammamish was led by Sarah Wyrick with three goals and two assists and Alexandra Johnson with three goals and one assist.

Scoring 1 2 FINAL
Issaquah 6 5 11
Lake Sammamish 6 4 10

Game Summary
Issaquah 11, Lake Sammamish 10 (Suzy Emerson, IS, 5 goals, 3 draw controls, 1 caused turnover; Nicole Victory, IS, 2 goals, 1 assist; 2 ground balls; Meg Corscadden, IS, 2 goals, 1 assist; Kameron Ramirex, LS, 1 goal, Ktie Bucy, 1 goal, 1 assist; Sarah Wyrick, LS, 3 goals, 2 assists, 3 draw controls; Alex Johnson, LS, 3 goals, 1 assist, 2 ground balls, 2 cauased turnovers; Amelia Chirichigno, LS, 1 goals; Sela Chinn, LS, 1 goal; Emily Sokol, LS, 1 goal, 2 assists; Medelyn Hunter, LS, 1 goal)