Cape girls’ lax goes scrap and snap on Tatnall for 17-10 win
Cape girls’ lacrosse rode a 152-game Delaware win streak into the state championship game May 27 at Dover Stadium, seeking its 12th straight state championship against an 18-0 Tatnall team that had waxed more people than Waves Car Wash.
“We never talk about the history or feel any pressure,” said coach Lindsey Underwood. “We prepare to compete; that's about it.”
Cape went scrap and snap from the opening draw control won by Emily Monigle. Just 15 seconds later, Kelly Bragg, a magnetic energy field, was in the back of the net.
The Vikings then went into full-bore assault mode and led 5-0 after five minutes, then 12-3 at the half.
The final score was 17-10. The game was slowed at times by the awarding of yellow cards – four for Tatnall and two for Cape.
“Tatnall played a great season, so we wanted to come out hard and fast,” said Underwood. “Get the draw and go to the goal. Emily [Monigle] and Lindsay [Rambo] did great on the draw, and our middie lines really scrapped on the circle.”
Cape had the Rishko sisters, Ella and Lulu, switching off face-guarding prolific scorer Lydia Colasante, holding her to a pair of goals.
The 2021 Cape reconfigured team featured nine first-time starters, including four freshmen in Lulu Rishko, Lexi Nowakowski, Carrie Clausius and Montana Jones.
“We only returned three starters from 2019, so nine new starters,” Underwood said. “It was the ultimate reconfiguration, and we truly didn’t know who would play in what positions even a few weeks into the season. Every position was up for grabs, and the girls really worked hard and pushed each other.”
The other backstory was goalie Destiny Kusen, coached by Bruce Leibu, who evolved from an adventure to Great Adventure and one of the best goalies in the state, and the only one with a state championship medal.
“Destiny stepped it up in the tournament,” Underwood said. “We could see a different focus in her in practice and the postseason.”
Eleven of Cape’s 17 goals were scored by underclassmen. That has been a key to 12 straight years of championships: Somehow there are always more total goal scorers coming back than lost to graduation.
Goal scorers for Cape included Bragg with three; Ella Rishko, Lulu Rishko, Monigle, Rambo, and Clausius each with two; and single goals from Riley Keen, Molly Mendes, Nowakowski and Haley Craig.
Assists for Cape came from Ella Rishko with three; Monigle with two; and Craig, Bragg, Keen, Megan Smith and Mendes each with one.
Kusen was credited with seven goalie saves.
Tatnall goal scorers were Kali Clayton with four, Teryn Singer with three, Lydia Colasante with two and Katrina Cattermole with one. Clayton and Colasante each had an assist.
Carlie Mckendry had 12 saves for the Hornets.
See more photos from the game here.
