Best of Sports, Girls Lacrosse: Addison Murdoch, Mt. Lebanon
Addison Murdoch did not score any goals in the WPIAL championship game, but that didn’t mean the senior midfielder had no role in Mt. Lebanon’s victory, 16-11, against Pine-Richland. In that Class 3A title match played May 23 at Joe Walton Stadium, all Murdoch did was dominate the faceoffs and shut down the Rams’ offensive attack.
“We knew they would shut Addie off,” said Lebo head coach Brian Kattan. “But she finds other ways to impact a game. She was great on the faceoffs and her defense was tremendous.
“Addie is one of the most talented players we have ever had at Mt. Lebanon,” Kattan continued. “She can control the game so many different ways, not just with goals or assists but draw controls. She plays great defense and just has the ability to know when to slow things down or play fast and take advantage of things on offense.”
In her fourth and final season as a Blue Devil, Murdoch took her game to a new level and the results were tremendous.
“She really had a great season,” Kattan said.
Murdoch joined an elite group of Mt. Lebanon players when she registered her 200th career goal in a playoff win against North Allegheny. Only two other Blue Devils have entered the 200-goal club. She finished with 207 goals and 96 assists.
For the season, Murdoch notched 55 goals and contributed 32 assists. Again, she earned All-America, All-WPIAL and all-section acclaim.
Murdoch led the Blue Devils to a section title and their fourth appearance in a district final. Lebo’s win against the Rams marked the school’s sixth WPIAL title but first since 2016. The Blue Devils suffered only one loss this spring. They had a 20-1 record after falling to Conestoga in the quarterfinals of the PIAA tournament.
Murdoch will continue her career at Pitt. The Panthers are excited about their prized recruit.
“Addie is a strong and smart lacrosse player with an incredible lax IQ,” said her future coach Emily Boissonneault. “She will be an inspiration and influence to all the young girls in Western Pennsylvania.”
Murdoch was an example off the field. In the classroom, she maintained a 4.7 GPA and belonged to the National Honor Society. She will major in economics-statistics with a focus on data sciences.