Mt. Lebanon wins WPIAL title
Attack and fast. That combination proved the recipe for success for the Mt. Lebanon ladies’ lacrosse team.
The Blue Devils jumped on Quaker Valley quickly and kept up the pace to post a 9-7 victory in the WPIAL Division I championship match played at Highmark Stadium.
“We felt the faster we move,” said Lebo head coach Brian Kattan, “then the others can’t keep up with us.”
The Quakers certainly couldn’t keep pace with Alyssa Battaglia. The senior fired in five goals in leading Lebo to victory. Megan Gibbons supplied two tallies while Allena Holzworth and Anna Albers completed the Blue Devils’ scoring attack.
With under a minute to play in the first half, Battaglia already had the hat trick and the Blue Devils owned a 6-2 advantage. Battaglia tacked on two more tallies at 12:29 and 2:27 in the second half.
“We attacked and kept moving the ball quickly,” said Battaglia. “We definitely didn’t want to get caught off guard.”
Lebo certainly didn’t let that happen. The Blue Devils struck first on a goal by Holzworth seven minutes into the contest. Though Annie Henry tied the contest, 1-1, Albers provided Lebo the lead it would not relinquish with 16:35 to play in the first half.
The tally set the stage for Battaglia. She scored the first of her three goals at the 14:47 mark. Though Henry scored a second time, Gibbons gave Lebo a two-goal cushion with her score at 10:21. Battaglia followed with two more tallies before Lexi Meanor narrowed the gap, 6-3, with two seconds remaining before intermission.
Though the Quakers pulled to within two goals on Meanor’s second score five minutes into the second half, Battaglia would not let her teammates down. She triggered a Lebo rally that also included another goal by Gibbons.
“She looks to herself to lead,” said Kattan. “She goes out there and is a team leader. She’s done that for four years for us. Nothing’s changed. She’s so even keel.”
For four years, Battaglia has welcomed the moniker of leader. She started as a freshman.
She’s been at her best during the post-season, says Kattan.
“When I have a big game, the team generally gets excited,” Battaglia explained. “That makes it better all around for us.”
Carina Barnes made things better, too, for the Lebo ladies. She played a strong game in the nets.
“She had a big game,” Kattan said. “All year, she has done a great job. Good kids come up big in big games.”
For the program, the contest was huge because Lebo had not won a WPIAL title in lacrosse since 2006. The Blue Devils had not been in the finals since 2008. Plus, they had lost in the semifinals four of the past five years.
“This means a lot,” said Battaglia of the title. “Since losing last year, we have been motivated. We wanted this title. This has been a goal for so long.”
For Battaglia, her future goals include attending Penn State. She hopes to play club lacrosse for the Nittany Lions while earning a degree in secondary education or library science. She hopes to teach and coach lacrosse one day, perhaps at her alma mater.
“That would be wonderful,” she said of the prospects. “Whether it’s here [at Lebo] or not, I’d still love to coach and teach.”
Battaglia’s scholastic career is not over, however. The Blue Devils embark on PIAA tournament play May 28. Lebo faces the third-place finisher out of District 3 in the first round of competition.
“[Winning the WPIAL title] feels amazing,” said Battaglia. “It hasn’t sunk in it.
“But, we’ve never been to states before so we still have that. We want to go as far as possible.”
Kattan believes his squad can. “We have a good shot,” he said. But, he added of Wednesday’s contest, “it would be the first state win in Lebo history.”
Lebo reached the championship match by defeating Shady Side Academy, 8-7, at Moon Stadium.
Anna Albers scored the game-winning goal with four minutes remaining in the game. She finished with three goals.
Alyssa Battaglia exploded for five tallies.
Lebo had lost to SSA four of the past five seasons in the semifinals.
Quaker Valley reached the finals by dispatching Peters Township, 11-9.