Madison Girls Lacrosse Wins State Championship

The Madison girls lacrosse team capped off a flawlessly undefeated season with a state championship win on Saturday night, defeating the Oakton Cougars 20-11.  

The Warhawks jumped out to quick 5-0 lead and never looked back, scoring at will and defending diligently. Melissa Kellan led the way with two goals and six assists, while Katie Kerrigan, Julia Kehoe and Dana Beden each added hat tricks.

“We were determined to win and do whatever we needed to make it happen,” Head Coach Amanda Counts said afterwards. “It was a great all around effort. We just kept our eyes on the prize.”

And Madison proved to be the prize-worthy team from the sound of the opening whistle,  scoring the first three goals of the game in the first two minutes of play. 

The Cougars picked up their level of play in an effort to get back into the game, but sophomore goalkeeper Taylor Rivera-Silva came up with a pair of point blank saves to keep them off the board.

“Taylor’s first save really gave us some momentum,” Counts said.  “It allowed us to control the pace and gave us a cushion for nerves.”

Kellan rewarded her keeper with an assist to Kerrigan, before scoring one of her own just nine seconds out of the ensuing Cougar timeout. The 5-0 lead may have given Madison a bit too much cushion for nerves, as the Cougars came roaring back with three straight goals. 

Madison's Megan Bisson then came on to get a crucial goal and Carly Frederick scored both of her goals in a five-minute span to help the Warhawks regain complete control of the contest.

The Warhawks continued to pull away in the second half, thanks to the great facilitation of Kellan around the Cougar net.  The six-foot sophomore used her superior height and excellent field vision to find four different Warhawk players for goals in the final period.  And each time the Cougars showed some signs of life, Rivera-Silva and the defense closed the door on any potential comeback.

The perfect season and state championship will now certainly put the fourth-year head coach on the map, but having beaten her beloved sister-in-law,Oakton coach Jean Counts, the feeling of victory this time had mixed emotions.

“It is hard because I know it has to be tough to be in her shoes after making it this far,” Counts said.  “But having been my mentor when we were in this exact situation and won, I hope she will see that she helped guide me here.”

As for her team, who have done the unthinkable, outscoring their opponents 407-152 en route to a perfect 22-0 record and Madison’s first ever girls lacrosse state championship:

“This is how they deserved to go out,” Counts said.