Girls lacrosse: Twin Valley fends off Wilson for BCIAA title

After two seasons of falling just short of a county title, top-seeded Twin Valley finally broke through with a hard-fought championship victory over third-seeded Wilson.

The Raiders defeated the Bulldogs 8-6 in the BCIAA girls lacrosse championship Tuesday night at Alvernia University.

“It feels so good because we only lost three seniors last year, so the girls that came back have experienced this,” Raiders coach Courtney Kaplan said following the victory. “They know what that loss felt like, and the way they’ve grown their game in a year is just amazing. We’re just super dialed in right now, and it feels really good.”

Twin Valley was led by senior Michigan commit Ellie Kaplan, who recorded a hat trick, including the go-ahead goal late in the fourth quarter. Taylor Ebert and Meredith Siever each added two goals.

“Great. We’ve been here the last couple years and haven’t brought it home, so to finally get that medal and the trophy, it’s just great,” Ellie Kaplan said.

For Wilson, Ryan Leaman scored twice, but it was not enough to overcome the Raiders.

The victory marked the fourth county championship for Twin Valley (18-1), while Wilson (14-4) remained competitive throughout but could not finish in crunch time.

Much of that success came from the Raiders’ strong defensive play.

Heading into the fourth quarter, the game was tied 6-6, a major contrast from the teams’ first meeting earlier this season when Twin Valley rolled to an 18-7 victory.

“We played them pretty early, so obviously things change,” Ellie Kaplan said of the difference between the two matchups. “Teams get better, so we knew they were gonna punch back. Even though we didn’t have the ball a lot, we did a great job holding and being smart in our possessions and putting the ball away.”

Wilson controlled possession for stretches in Raiders territory but struggled to beat goalkeeper Stephanie Dunbar, who stonewalled multiple scoring chances.

“We came out of our huddle and said, ‘We played defense this whole game, 12 more minutes, just hold them,’” Ellie Kaplan said. “That’s all we needed to do. Our goalie stood on her head. She tracked the ball so well, and I think our defense did such a good job staying poised. We didn’t foul, we didn’t put them on the eight, and that’s kind of what bit us in the first half.”

As the saying goes, defense translates to offense, and that is exactly what the Raiders did.

With 2:39 remaining, Ellie Kaplan broke the tie with her third goal of the night to give Twin Valley a 7-6 lead.

“I’m super proud,” Courtney Kaplan said of her daughter. “She loves competition, and the way she talks to the team and gets them fired up and dialed in, if the ball is in her stick, she’s going to do something with it. I couldn’t be prouder. She worked so hard, so I’m lucky to actually be a part of it.”

Wilson continued to apply pressure offensively as time ticked down, but the Bulldogs were unable to capitalize.