By Sara Kaplow (April 5, 2003)

George Mason’s girls’ varsity lacrosse team won their first game in the Concorde AAA district last night against South Lakes High School. The final score was 8-1, with four different players scoring the goals.

The game came as a great relief, following a series of defeats by other AAA teams in their district. After losing 20-0 to Westfield on Wednesday, the players were pleased at their first victory as a varsity team.

Senior captain and experienced goalie Katie Aylor saved two penalty shots during the first half, keeping the South Lakes team scoreless before turning it over to freshman Lauren Moore who, in her first varsity appearance, saved three shots. South Lakes did not score until almost the last minute on a penalty shot. 

Freshman Kristin Schwind scored three of the eight goals in her first start at center, replacing freshman Mikki Ekfelt. Captain Kaitlin Bottock scored two goals within minutes of each other at the beginning of the second half. Freshmen Emily Walden and Kaity Hauter, as well as junior Mary Ryan, each scored one goal each.

Coach Mahoney, who is responsible for the existence of the team, was pleased with the game. "Not only was our offence the best we’ve seen, but our defensive wall was awesome. I’m calling them the wall, Elise Edwards, Lena Griffin, and Sara Kaplow. Nobody beats the wall," she said.

The Mason ladies host T.C. Williams high school on Monday, with varsity playing at 4:15 and junior varsity immediately following.