| | Published April 1st, 2009
| Lady Mats Top Dublin 8-7
| | By Lucy Amaral |  | | Miramonte's attack wing Madison Zimmerman advances the ball Photo Doug Kohen
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With 22 seconds left on the clock, left attack wing Meghan McConnell fired one into the goal to lift defending DFAL Champions, the Lady Mats varsity lacrosse team, to an 8-7 victory over the Lady Gaels of Dublin, on March 24, at Miramonte.
McConnell racked up a total of three goals for the evening. Center Alexandra Seclow, also scored a hat trick during the game, with left defense wing, Anna Radoff and right attack wing, Madison Zimmerman, signing in with one goal each. Radoff also logged one assist.
An impressive performance, especially as there are only three returning varsity players on the team this year. "We are a young team and we are learning and jelling together," said Natalia Mejia, Miramonte's coach. "Dublin is a strong team, so it was nice to have a win against such a traditionally strong team."
From the first face-off, Miramonte took an aggressive stance, with the team scoring four goals in rapid succession. Dublin came back tough in the last minutes, scoring a matching four. But a strong Miramonte defense, led by Caitlin Bott and Katie Marker, held Dublin at bay, and a late goal by Zimmerman raised the ante to end the first half with a score of 5 to 4, advantage Miramonte.
Early in the second half, Miramonte scored again, bringing the tally to 6-4, but midway through Dublin went on the attack, tying the score, then moving ahead 7-6.
With just under four minutes on the clock, Radoff sliced one into the goal to tie the score, which held until the last 22 seconds of the game and McConnell's final score. Dublin ran the ball back, made an attempt but was blocked by goalie Danielle Albo - her seventh save of the game - giving Miramonte possession and, ultimately, the win.
"The last 22 seconds of the game we definitely needed possession. That was going to win us the game," said Mejia. "And, fortunately, we have a very good goalie who stopped the last minute shot by Dublin and saved the game for us. She really stepped up."
Mejia said that the pressure during the last seconds of the game was not unexpected. "Being consistent and keeping our composure is something we work on," she said. "Keeping that level throughout the game has been one of our main focuses, so seeing them accomplish that in play is very nice."
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 | | Lady Mats get psyched for the game against Dublin Photo Doug Kohen
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA