As players returned to the field after a timeout with 16:38 remaining in the second half on Tuesday, March 29, Lake Braddock girls lacrosse coach Victor Chen encouraged the Bruins not to be comfortable with their two-goal lead against an athletic T.C. Williams team.
"You’ve got to keep pulling away," he shouted from the sideline. "They’re too dangerous to keep close."
Freshman midfielder Allie Snow took it upon herself to make sure Chen’s instructions didn’t fall on deaf ears.
In less than a minute, Snow padded the Bruins’ lead with a pair of goals, part of a 6-1 run that helped Lake Braddock secure a 19-15 victory at Minnie Howard in Alexandria. The Bruins’ record improved to 3-0, including 2-0 in the Patriot District.
Snow led Lake Braddock with six goals. After the freshman scored back-to-back goals coming out of the timeout, she found the net for the final time with 12:56 remaining, giving the Bruins a 16-11 advantage.
"I can’t say enough things about her," Chen said. "As a freshman, what an incredible talent."
Snow is just one member of Lake Braddock’s corps of young talent. Sophomore midfielder Taylor Livick scored four goals for the Bruins, and freshman midfielder Kristen Gaudian and sophomore attack Alexis Torres each added three.
"Probably some of the best talent that Braddock has seen in a long time," Chen said, "has finally come through and pays off."
Junior attack Summerlin Meredith scored two goals for Lake Braddock and junior midfielder Shelby Crow added one.
Lake Braddock trailed 6-4 late in the first half when the Bruins responded with five consecutive goals and led 9-7 at halftime. TC pulled with one on three occasions in the second half, but Lake Braddock always found a way to gain separation.
The Bruins’ 19 goals were a season high, surpassing a 12-goal effort against West Potomac on March 25, but the 15 goals allowed were also tops for the season. The Titans were the first team to score at least 10 goals against the Bruins.
"That’s something that we can’t do," Chen said. "We’re not a team that can go blow-for-blow, especially against a team like TC that’s really dangerous [and] that can score quickly. We’ve just got to play better team defense."
Lake Braddock will host West Springfield on April 4, at 7:15 p.m.
"If we’re competitive and we do our job," Chen said, "then everything else will fall into place."