On March 7, the varsity Lady Warrior lacrosse team (3-1) took on the East Paulding Raiders (5-2) in unfavorable rainy conditions. The Lady Warriors started off the first half with senior captain midfield Maddie Diaz (#22) motivating the team before the game. Sophomore attack Erinne Giles (#2) and Diaz worked together during the first quarter to wear down the Raider defense, but ultimately the Raiders managed to gain the first two points. Giles scored three goals in the first half, while Diaz added two more, ending the first half with a score of 9-5.

The Lady Warriors attempted to catch up after halftime and scored ten more times in the second half. Diaz started the second half with an early goal as the Lady Warriors took this as a sign that the game would end in their favor. Unfortunately, the Raiders would not budge and went on to score seven more times before the Lady Warriors scored again.

“The seniors this year are all really good leaders and players. We have great quality senior players this year, and they played well on Monday’s game. Although, I think [the game] was a gut check for our girls. They need to know that we need to treat every team we play as a good team and a tough play. We are in a really tough area, and to win them we have to fight really hard,” girls varsity head coach Kathy Ezzell said.

 After time-outs called by both teams, the Lady Warriors developed a strong determination to score on the Raiders. With the help of senior attack Ella Connell (#14), sophomore midfielder Makayla Fore (#6), junior midfielder Sophia Soriano, Giles and Diaz, the Lady Warriors scored seven points within minutes of each other in the game’s closing minutes. Soriano made a final goal before the time ran out, and the Lady Warriors lost the game with a final score of 22–15.

“I think if we got another half to play we could have come out on top. I do not think we started out the best, we started out a bit complacent. I am not going to blame the rainy weather, I think we just did not have the heart at the beginning of the game,” Ezzell said.

Despite their drive to win at the game’s end, the Lady Warriors could not recover from the Raider’s large lead. The Raiders scored thirteen times in the second half and won the game with twenty-two points. The Lady Warriors will utilize this game as a learning experience to play against the Mount Paran Christian Eagles (2-2) on Wednesday, March 9 at Emory Sewell stadium. 

Even with their first loss of the season, the Lady Warriors boast a stronger reputation this year than their previous seasons. They hold a state rank of 47 compared to their state rank of 74 last season. Even with fewer players during this season, the Lady Warriors continue to play their hardest and work well together both on and off the court.