The varsity girls lacrosse team broke Mason history this season, earning a trip to the 4A State Championship. It took an undeniable team bond that worked together for months of preparation, exciting wins, hard losses, morning practices, and constant competition.

“There were a lot of obstacles to overcome this season. It was by no means easy,” head coach Ms. Courtney Gibbons said.

To combat obstacles within the team, which included losing multiple players, the Lady Mustangs (14-5) stepped up and stayed focused on their biggest goal: breaking Mason history and getting to the final round of the State Tournament on Saturday, June 11 at Liberty University.

“By the end of the season I was able to look around at my teammates and know everyone wanted to be there,” said sophomore midfielder Amy Roche.  

Earlier in the season, the Lady Mustangs played Brighton, a competitive team from New York, and lost 4-14. Another hard loss was against Dominion, 11-15. Mason had beaten Dominion in over time the previous season. Losing those games served as a wake up call for the team.

“We figured out that we all needed to be committed to the sport in order to be successful,” Roche said.

The commitment showed through the amount of hours the girls put in during the week. The team did morning practices each Wednesday in order to have the full field. Afterwards, they would all sit down in Coach Gibbons’ office and have breakfast before starting the school day.

“My favorite part has been spending time with the girls. They genuinely like spending time together. [It was] a group that had so much fun,” Coach Gibbons said.

In addition to earning the State Runner’s-up title for the girls’ lacrosse team this season, Gibbons was awarded the VHSL 2016 Coach of the Year.

“Coach Gibbons is probably my biggest role model and I think I can say that for the majority of the team too,” Roche said.

Gibbons increased the level of competition at practices in order to prepare for the high pressure games to come.

“She put so much time and effort into this team and we wouldn’t have been nearly as successful without her,” junior captain and Honorable Mention All-Met player, Sarah Lubnow said. “She was able to make us better every single day at practice or during games.”

The hard work showed in the Conference Tournament semi-final game on May 19 when the Mustangs beat Dominion 12-8. This win qualified them to take on Woodgrove (18-3), the number one team in the conference and four-time 4A State champions, on May 23 and beat them for the first time in Mason history. The 12-11 win was a huge milestone and served as momentum for the team going forward.

“We played with the mentality that we were going to win no matter what,” Gibbons said.

The Conference championship would not be the last time that the Mustangs would face Woodgrove.

After successfully competing in the Regional Tournament semi-final game against John Champe High School (10-8), and beating them 23-6, Mason faced Woodgrove in the Regional Tournament final. With the final score of 11-16, Mason made it to the State Tournament earning second place in the region, meanwhile Champe advanced earning first.

June 7 marked the first day of the State tournament and the first time the girls’ lacrosse team had ever won a State Tournament semi-final game. The Lady Mustangs faced West Albemarle (11-3) on their turf, beating them 12-7 which put them in the second round of the State Championship.

In the state final, the Mustangs stepped onto the field to play one last game for the season. They had reached their goal of getting to Liberty University, and now hoped to win the state championship title. After a challenging and intense game, Woodgrove came out on top with a final score of 8-16.

The Mustangs are officially the 2016 4A State Runner-Up’s with an impressive 13-4 record. They reached their goal of playing in the state championship game, and did it as a tight-knit and hardworking unit of dedicated players.

“I’m extremely proud to be a part of such a hardworking and dedicated team… [and] next season we hope to win the state championship,” Lubnow said.