Perryville girls defeat Loch Raven, advance to state semifinals

For the second straight year, Perryville’s girls’ lacrosse program will advance to the state semifinals.

The Panthers defeated No. 2 Loch Raven 13-4 to setup a matchup with No. 6 Fallston. Perryville faced the Cougars once this season with Fallston having the upper hand in a 14-7 win.

Perryville’s defense forced eight takeaways, while goalie Samantha Peterson finished the day with 15 saves. Perryville head coach Mary Dunman said Peterson used 40-yard transitions three times to McKenna Elliot that spearheaded the Panthers’ attack. Elliot found Sarah Kilby on multiple occasions to put up points for the Panthers.

“We worked as a team and it was a group effort,” Dunman said.

The Panthers finished with 12 draw controls compared to Loch Raven’s six. Six different Perryville players found the back of the net. Sarah Murrell led the Panthers in scoring with seven goals, while Kilby added two scores. Elliot, Nadelie Adams, Christina Frantz and Macy Forrest each finished with a goal.

The Panthers finished the day with 21 shots on net. Perryville held an 8-3 lead at the half.

“It was just a well played game by everyone on the team,” Dunman said.

The Class 1A State Semifinal game will be hosted on Friday at 6 p.m. at Wheaton High School in Silver Spring.