The Salem High girls avenged their only loss of the season on May 22nd by beating Hidden Valley in the American Conference girls’ lacrosse tournament final. On Tuesday they played the Titans again in the Region 4D final, and this time they left no doubt with a 19-8 spanking at Spartan Field.

“We were aiming to win by 13 as a double up on our last improvement,” said Salem coach Maggi Pace, as Salem beat the Titans 11-5 in the previous meeting. “That was a high bar and the girls rose to the occasion.”

Madi Caldwell led Salem in scoring with five goals and two assists, followed by a breakout game for Alla Daniel with five goals and an assist. Libby Bowman had four goals, Lilly Blair had three while being face-guarded and Kayla Lainez had two goals. Maddie Bowman had 10 saves.

“Between Lilly, Alla and Libby we dominated the draw with 15 total controls,” said Pace. “I think each time we are improving and looking to grow. We have looked really solid in practice and we’re starting to see a full two halves of play in games. It’s a great time to be on the rise.”

Next up for the Spartans will be Hanover at 6 pm Friday at Spartan Field. That’s a state opening round game.

Salem is now 17-1 overall. Last Thursday at Spartan Field they had little trouble with Rockbridge in the regional semifinal, beating the Wildcats 21-2. Blair had six goals and two assists and Caldwell, Kara Yates and Libby Bowman had three each.