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Robinson's Dunleavy beats the clock
When Robinson junior Megan Dunleavy sprained her ankle in practice last Wednesday, just two days before the Concorde District girls lacrosse final, it didn't look promising. Coach Alison Neun held Dunleavy out of practice Thursday and was unsure as to how effective she would be the following day against undefeated Chantilly.In the end, the sprain turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
"I think that gave her a little bit of fire," Neun said of Dunleavy's injury. "She wanted to step it up and not let her ankle affect her."
Dunleavy showed no ill effects Friday night, scoring a game-high six goals – including the game-winner – to lead the Rams to a 14-13 victory and their first district championship since 2005.
With the score tied, 13-13, and time winding down in the second half, Dunleavy led a Robinson break down field. She threw a pass to senior Allie Kimmelman, then received a return pass in front of the Chargers' net and fired a shot that crossed the goal line just before the final horn sounded.
"When we got that release on that clear, it was just a matter of perfect timing, getting the ball in and getting the ball over the goal line," Neun said of the deciding string of events.
Said Dunleavy, "I saw Allie, so I threw it to her. She got doubled and I was wide open in the center. It was the perfect setup. It was crunch time. I had to get it in."
When Robinson faced Chantilly on March 31 in regular-season play, the Chargers scored seven straight goals before the Rams rallied to force overtime. Chantilly ended up winning the game, 13-11, in extra time. The Chargers got off to another fast start Friday, but Neun was confident her team would not have a repeat performance.
"I was worried, but I felt like we have grown so much as a team since the first time we played them," she said. "I had confidence in my players that they were going to be able to pull it back and not let Chantilly take a big lead."
In the end, it was Robinson that held the largest lead of the game and pulled out a win in the final seconds. The Rams began their run to a Northern Region title with a 19-3 win over Edison Tuesday night in the opening round of the region tournament. Robinson will host either Woodson or South County Thursday night in the region quarterfinals.
"It pumps us up [to win the district], but the region is getting better every year," Neun said. "While districts are important, we've got to keep looking ahead."
Added Dunleavy, "We're feeling good right now. We're going to keep rolling, we've got a lot of hard work to do."
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