Sussex Academy girls’ lax wins battle of the Seahawks

The Sussex Academy girls’ lacrosse squad used a consistent scoring barrage of eight goals each half to swoop up a season-opening 16-8 victory over the Stephen Decatur Seahawks March 22 on the Sussex Academy turf.

The SA Seahawks outshot the Stephen Decatur team 37-16.

Senior Sanne Elling led the SA team with six goals and a powerful performance in the draw circle, along with sophomore Shelby Manlove, who added three tallies in the twine. Callie Short scored three while Emiley Bisaha hit for two. Rilyn Lehman and Marley Rohe each had one.

The SA defense was highlighted in the game, as they stopped the powerful Decatur team and held them to just four goals each half. 

“I thought the game went really well,” said defender Quinn Nutter. “We definitely cleaned it up and worked it together as a team. We kept the intensity up and capitalized on any mistakes they had. It was a great game for us.”

SA sophomore Morgan Leeper made eight stops in goal while Addison McDaniel stopped 12 shots for Decatur.

“Every time we play together, our team chemistry grows more and more, and you saw that in the outcome of our game tonight,” said SA head coach Taylor Gibbs. “There’s nothing I enjoy more as a coach than watching these girls do what they love on the field with intensity. These girls dug their heels into the ground and worked hard every second of the game. Our defense worked as one unit tonight, which was one reason we were successful. It was a great way to start our season.”

Lily Carson and Audrey Mumford each had two goals to lead Stephen Decatur.

The Sussex Academy Seahawks will host Sussex Tech Friday, March 24.