Athenas Lacrosse Wins Inaugural SCIAC Championship
Whittier, CA- This weekend marked the first Inaugural SCIAC Lacrosse Championship. On Saturday the Athenas faced off against Wednesday’s first round winner, Pomona-Pitzer at Patterson Field. The Athenas held the draw advantage 17-9 and used stifling defense and dominant time of possession to hold the Sagehens to only two goals on the day.
The defense was led by senior Shelly Sheinbein who was able to shut out the nation’s leading goal scorer, Martha Marich. Offensively, the Athenas were able to get nine players on the scoreboard. Junior Sarah Dick and Freshman Madison Shove led the way with five goals apiece. Senior Colbi Brawner added four goals herself with fellow senior Devon Scott and freshman Rachel Darby chipping in with a pair each. The rest of the scoring was rounded out with single goals by sophomore Allie Haynes, Ali Abramovitz, Cassy Delano and Molly Murtaugh. On the circle Sarah Dick had a big day, bringing down five draw controls. In goal, the Athenas were bolstered by junior Katie Campbell Morrison who has 8 saves.
The Athenas returned on Sunday to face the Redlands Bulldogs in the final game. Redlands made their way to the final by beating Whittier 14-6 the previous day. CMS pulled out to an early 7-1 lead, but the Bulldogs refused to go down without a fight. Four unanswered goals, one by Mary Shepherd and three by Haley Kern, narrowed the lead to 7-5. The Bulldogs would get within three goals of the Athenas, but were unable to close the margin. The Athenas attack was able to edge out Redlands for a final score of 16-11.
The Athenas were led by Devon Scott who had four goals on the day. Molly Murtaugh, Colbi Brawner and Madison Shove each contributed three goals as well. The rest of the scoring was rounded out by Sarah Dick with two and Cassy Delano with one goal. The Athenas again dominated the draw circle winning 18 of the 29 draws. Dick and Murtaugh each pulled down four draws. Madison Shove led defensively with five ground balls and four caused turnovers. Senior Shelly Sheinbein had another great day of shut down defense keeping Bulldog leading scorer Christy Smith off the board until the last 45 seconds of the game.
Up next for the Athenas are the Bulldogs from Adrian College Wednesday at 7:30 on Zinda Field. Adrian is currently 13-2 and undefeated in the region. This is not only a big regional contest, but will mark the final home game for the five Athena seniors. The Athenas will recognize seniors Devon Scott, Colbi Brawner, Catherine Delano, Jennifer Cohen and Shelly Sheinbein.