Riverwood Wins 5th Straight, Hannah McConnell's 5 Goals Lift The Raiders To 13-8 Win Over Midtown
On Wednesday, the Riverwood Raiders girls lacrosse team played host the Midtown Knights as the Raiders looked to extend their current win streak to five in a row, while the Knights looked to pick up their first win of the season. Eager for their first victory, the Knights were aggressive early in the first half and found themselves going back and forth with the Raiders and would actually take the lead twice in the opening half, with Knights midfielder Ryan Carter connecting for two goals and one assist. Seeming to have momentum in their favor, the Knights led 4-3 just past the midway point of the first half, but the Raiders would close out the half on a 5-0 run to take a 8-4 lead at the half.
The Raiders would open up the second half with momentum still in their favor as they opened up the half on a quick 3-2 run to take an 11-6 lead, but the Knights were not ready to fold as midfielder DT Thommasson would score back to back goals to cut into the Raiders lead as they trailed 11-8 with 4:06 to go in the half. However, the Raiders would regroup and score the next two goals and go on to pick up the 13-8 win for their fifth consecutive win. The Raiders were led by Hannah McConnell, who led all players with five goals, with Abigail Schrock and Audrey Oyler scoring three goals each.
Following the win Riverwood head coach, Shannon Swanson, acknowledge the work ethic of her players leading to their fifth straight win. “The girls have been working hard this season to win, and get these [consecutive] wins and for them to self-motivate to get these wins is great,” Swanson said of her players. Coach Swanson would go on to note that despite the Raiders stumbling a bit defensively in the second half, she was pleased with how they regrouped to hold on for the win. However, Swanson said that, that is an area she would like to see them improve on.
“I think our biggest weakness is we get tired and crumble, so keeping up our endurance, continuing to make those plays, and continue to communicate,” are Swanson says she believes can help the Raiders continue to pick up wins down the stretch of the regular season. With the win, the Raiders improve to 7-2 on the season and will take on Dacula in a non-region match up on Thursday.
