Delaware high school girls lacrosse: Hillers edge Cardinals in thriller

4/25/2010

WILMINGTON -- It was the epitome of a clutch performance.

With Tower Hill seconds away from defeat, senior Katie Applegate darted through a maze of players and scored to force a tie at the end of regulation as the Hillers eventually went on to beat St. Andrew's 13-12 on Friday afternoon.

"We worked really hard and I didn't want to lose," Applegate said. "I don't want to say we wanted it more, but ever since the semifinal last year, we've been working up to this game. Emotionally, we were really in it today."

The Hillers showed that emotion early on, scoring three unanswered goals to start the game and keeping possession in St. Andrew's zone for much of the first half. However, the Cardinals crawled back, pulling within one at halftime, and never let the game get out of reach despite being limited to 18 shots.

"They never backed off," Tower Hill coach Wiz Applegate said. "They pressured us and forced us into some turnover situations. You can never be comfortable with any kind of lead against St. Andrew's."

Cardinals' goalie Nina Labovich played a major role in helping her team stay in the game. The sophomore stopped 18 of 31 shots, and made several key saves in the second half.

Kali DiGate led all scorers with 5 goals, including the game-winner with 2:28 remaining in the second overtime.

"I was told if I get the ball down in the crease to shoot if I was open, and that's what I did." DiGate said. "[St. Andrew's] is an amazing team and they gave us a great fight. They're one of our [toughest] competition. We got a little lucky, but I'll take it."