MORGANTOWN — Fairmont Senior was the underdog as it took the turf at Pony Lewis Field on April 18, but that didn’t really matter to the Polar Bears.
It didn’t matter when they trailed by two at the halftime break, nor when they fell behind three goals with just five minutes left in regulation. They only had one goal in mind; knock undefeated Morgantown off its pedestal. Against all odds, they succeeded.
The Polar Bears strung together an improbable second-half comeback, scoring five of the final six goals made to nab a 10-9 overtime victory.
“They just wanted it more than us,” MHS coach Suzzie Bane said.
The Mohigans flexed their muscle early, jumping to a 6-3 lead late in the first half on the shoulders of seniors Maddie Bal and Kylie Bennett, who each notched hat tricks on the evening. Fairmont adamantly stuck with their game plan, though, slowly but surely generating offense while staying within reach of their host.
“We knew it was going to be a tough game,” Bane said. “They did what we thought they were going to do and jammed our transition.”
Bane looked to make adjustments on the field, but as Fairmont hung close and wore down MHS, emotions flared and the Mohigans finally slipped, drawing three cards over the course of the game. The penalties allowed an opening for the Polar Bears to even up the scoreboard.
“When cards start coming out, that changes things,” Bane said. “You get a girl down – we went down a couple of times – and it alters your play. You have to go double up and everyone has to slide you’re playing six against seven. That’s a turning point in the game.”
According to Bane, the penalties her squad earned was the major deciding factor in the game, and a sentiment the MHS players echoed as they reflected on where things went wrong.
“I think we played really well, but we made a few errors that had a major effect on the game,” senior Madison Sharpe said. “There was a problem out there getting cards, and we’ll have to play better; we’ll have to play by the rules. We can’t get so emotional during the game.”
The rivalry between the squads is well-noted in West Virginia lacrosse circles, and the two met in state championship action just last spring. Senior Mia Wilson mentioned the difficulty of playing in such an environment.
“Fairmont is one of our biggest rivals, and every time we play it’s tough for both teams,” she said. “Both of us are always going back and forth, and hopefully we get them next time.”
As the Polar Bears battled back into contention, MHS fought valiantly to keep them out of the lead. A Mohigan goal with just under two minutes to play gave MHS their final lead of the evening, but Fairmont was not to be denied, and put a goal in net to tie the score once more with just 25 seconds left in the action.
The goal allowed the Polar Bears to force overtime, where they used the momentum generated during the final minutes of regulation to mount an attack on the MHS defense. The Mohigans defended the barrage as well as they could, but Fairmont found an opening quickly, netting a goal under two minutes into extra time to seal the victory.
Despite the loss, Bane was generally pleased with her team’s performance during the contest.
“I was very happy with our low defense, and senior Hannah Deeley played awesome. We did well with our clears, and I thought they were going to jam those,” Bane said. “Our offense could have slowed down a bit, and there is the basics – we could catch a little better, shoot a little better – but I’m not upset with the girls at all.”
Bane and her squad will look to adjust to their mistakes as the season moves forward, but Bane expects it won’t be too tough of a challenge.
“I don’t think I’m going to have to fix much. I have smart athletes; they learn every game and adjust,” she said. “It’s a learning process, and it’s hard to be hunted. We’re on top, and that’s a lot of pressure.”
MHS moves to 11-1 with the loss. It will return to action April 20 as it hosts Spring Mills at 6 p.m.
