A common “mining” theme continued in the 2012 Utah Girl’s Lacrosse community as the Junior Girl’s Championship game showcased the same two teams that settled the High School State Championship. The similarities ended there however, and silver glowed brighter than copper, as the Jr. Miners from Park City quarried an 11 to 8 victory versus the Jr. Miners from Bingham.
Utah’s McCarthy Track and Field Complex was the setting as the Lady Utes hosted this season’s edition of the Junior Girl’s Championship. After sweltering through the season’s first almost-triple-digit temperatures the previous few days, Wednesday evening’s chilly wind saw many Miner sideline supporters ruing their decision not to extract their cold weather gear from this winter’s tailings. The Miner women from both sides laughed off the chill and heated up McCarthy’s turf from the opening whistle. Sami Delli put some mustard on the opening draw in a win for Bingham, but Park City keeper Sadie DeBaun shoveled away Copper’s first strike at her mineshaft, and would continue to stone the Bingham crew for much of the contest.
Silver was on the board first with a free position goal by Marina Mayo for the first of Mayo’s triple decker sandwich of goals in the contest. The athletic Park City middie could have mixed up more than her trey in the fray, if not for Bingham keeper Kellie Elmen repeatedly putting a lid on Mayo. Bingham’s Lexie Padilla responded with a net-bender off a devastating pick by Ashley Hodge, who cleared the PC defensive debris to open a tunnel for Padilla’s chance down deep. Hodge then gave Copper their only lead of the day as she fluffed-the-filament on her free position fireball. Silver would score the next 4 in succession by Jeni Gordon, Maddie Morgan, Amanda Parry, then Ellie Faulk capped off the 1st half with a rocket to the top shelf of Bingham’s mineshaft to put the Silver Ski Town girls up 5 to 2 at the intermission.
The Copper Miners exploded out of the break like a charge of dynamite, scoring the first 3 of the second stanza. Bingham’s Hodge wasted no time as she ruffled-cord in the first minute, then Lexie Littledike dammed-up the deficit and went big in a coast-to-coast foray for the first of her trey on the day. Padilla then tied it up at 5 with the second of her day’s twine-tickling trifecta. This would be the closest Bingham would get as PC responded by scoring the next 4. First, Maddy Lee dueled the first of her day’s deuce with a bouncing volley to the bottom right corner, then Gordon struck-the-string off a pretty assist from behind by Claudia Lagnese. Lee then scored her second, and Mayo buttered the PC run by toasting Copper with a free position dinger. Bingham was not done and scored the next 2, first a big strike by Littledike, then Padilla completing her hat-trick. The 9 to 7 deficit was the closest the Copper Miners would get as PC scored the next 2, the first a Gordon goal off a Lagnese helper from above the 8, then Mayo completing her hat-trick. While Bingham added one more off a Littledike laser as tight into the top right corner as it could go, Park City closed out the contest to avenge their big sister’s slip in the high school edition. The final 11 to 8 score was not indicative of the number of shots, as goalies Elmen and DeBaun were magnificent in shoveling aside 50+% of the Miner charges hurled their way.
Bingham Coach Theresa Christensen and Park City Coach Glee Corsetti had their charges prepared for the battle of the Miners, and both teams will likely be picking, shoveling, and boring their way toward a rivalry that has just begun!
