The girls lacrosse team walked off Central Catholic’s home turf feeling proud, accomplished, and ecstatic. The Warriors defeated the Rams 10-5 for their fourth game of the season, marking the first time in two years for girls lacrosse to come home with a victory.

This is the first Cleveland win for head coach Katie Sheridan. “Wow. The first win feels really good. It was well deserved and a full team effort. Our goalie Abby Diller played awesome and it just trickled down from there,” she said.

“It felt historical,” said Aja Alexander, junior.

“We were the underdog who finally came out on top,” junior Lilly Berkey said.

The Warriors started out the game with two goals: the first by junior Leah Cromett and second by junior Emily Diamond. The Warriors led by two points for five minutes until the Rams responded with a goal.

Cleveland didn’t lose their momentum, as they answered back with four goals in nine minutes by seniors Emily Seibert and Gwen Frost, and juniors Paige Wyrick and Diamond.

The Warriors ended the first half leading 6-3. Although Cleveland doubled Central on the scoreboard, they were well aware that the Rams could easily score three goals. To retain their lead, the Warriors knew they had to possess the ball, connect passes, and capitalize on shot opportunities.

They did just that. With three more goals by captain Seibert and one goal by Central, Cleveland led 9-4 with 12 minutes remaining.

“It was 9-4 with a few minutes left and Central scored a goal, making it 9-5. My heart sunk a little because I was afraid they would come back to win,” Cromett said.

A goal by Diamond in the last minute marked the last point, with a final score of 10-5.

“Once the game was over I immediately felt a release of tension that had been building up since I had started playing on varsity. We finally got over the losing streak,” Frost said.

“When the whistle blew and the scoreboard was heavily in our favor, it felt as if all of the work we have put in finally paid off,” said Seibert.

But it wasn’t just offense that won the game for the Warriors. Defensive players were unstoppable protecting the 8-meter, while the midfield strung passes together to take the ball up the field.

Goalie Abby Diller had 12 recorded saves, junior captain Meg Matsuzaki managed keep possession even during triple-teams, freshman Grace Oh hustled to every ball, junior captain Leah Cromett caused five turnovers, and Seibert dashed through the midfield, among other standout players.

“The game against Central was the first game the team came together and worked as one cohesive unit,” Cromett said.

As for the difference between that game compared to others, nearly everyone said the win came down to mentality, confidence, and working together.

“We had the positive mindset going into the game that we wanted to win and we were all very pumped up,” said Berkey.

“The seniors Emily and Gwen were especially hungry for the win and they did a really good job of pumping us up and preparing us mentally for the game,” Matsuzaki said.

Moving forward, the Warriors hope they can hold on to this win and carry it on to future games.

“We can use this win in our upcoming games as proof of how much fire is within all of us,” Seibert said. “The win helped all of us remember how much we love playing lacrosse and being part of a team.”

“We had a lot of courage last night. If we carry that mentality to future games then we’re unstoppable.”

“Go Warriors,” coach Sheridan said thrillingly as she walked off the turf. “That was sick.”