Four girls who played on the 2018 Mariemont High School lacrosse state title team as freshmen punched their ticket to a final senior shindig as the Warriors held off Bishop Watterson 14-13 in a Division II state semifinal in Centerville Tuesday night, June 1.
Seniors Marah Campbell, Marley Megowen, Chloe Telgkamp and Sophie Toman were all a part of Mariemont's first girls lacrosse state championship and have a chance to be part of another Saturday.
Campbell led the way with four goals for the Warriors, with Toman adding three and Megowen two. The defense in front of goalie Olivia Simpson had to buckle down late as the Eagles scored four times in the final minutes to get within a goal.
Senior Abbie Lyons had given Mariemont a 14-9 lead with 11:10 remaining and the Warriors didn't score from there. Finally, in the end, they killed the clock, dropped their sticks and celebrated at midfield before joining their fans.
"We were a little lucky in a way," Mariemont coach Kevin Ferry said. "We had kids that had state championship experience."
Lyons also had three goals for Mariemont with sophomore Sarah Comer scoring twice.
"It was my best feeling ever my freshman year," Megowen said. "I'm very excited for Saturday!"
Added teammate Campbell, "It's so surreal. It's such a full-circle moment. I'm beyond excited and proud of this team for making it. My sophomore year, we were here and ended up losing in the state semifinal. I wasn't about to let that happen again."
The Warriors struck first behind senior Campbell for the early lead but Mariemont and the Eagles traded goals in the early going. When Toman scored followed by sophomore Sarah Comer's second goal, Mariemont had opened up a 5-2 lead.
That's when someone lit a match under Bishop Watterson as they reeled off four goals in less than two minutes. From just under five minutes to go in the half to the 3:14 mark, Zoe Coleman, Makenna Twonmbly, Katie Bettendorf and Carly Henry all found the net for the Eagles as they took their first lead of the game at 6-5.
Campbell tied for Mariemont with just 21 seconds left. Mariemont then won the face-off with Abbie Lyons scoring just before half for the 7-6 lead.
Thirty seconds into the second stanza, Megowen notched her first goal and it was 8-6.
Toman would add a pair of second-half goals. Lyons' third tally put Mariemont up five. However, Kate Geswein scored three down the stretch and Twombly added another as Bishop Watterson came within a goal with under two minutes to play.
"I was freaking out because in lacrosse you can always come back," Megowen said.
From there, Lady Warriors held on to defeat Watterson and, with that, the aluminum stands at Centerville's Alumni Stadium started rattling. For Mariemont, it's been a long three years waiting as the 2019 squad dropped a state semifinal in this same stadium.
"You go away from something that you love to do and you come back and you realize how much it meant to you," Ferry said of returning after 2020's lost season. "You lose a year of development. It's amazing the way the world kind of comes back around at times."
Bishop Watterson dropped to 19-6 and still has not made a state final. Zoe Coleman led the Eagles with five scores.
Mariemont is now 18-3 with losses to Division I schools Loveland (a DI state semifinalist) 13-12 on April 1; Olentangy Liberty 11-9 on April 17 and 18-14 to Mason (DI regional finalist) on May 13.
The Warriors advance to the Division II state championship Saturday morning at 10 a.m. at Ohio Wesleyan's Selby Stadium in Delaware, Ohio, outside of Columbus. They will face Rocky River who narrowly defeated Shaker Heights Hathaway Brown 7-6 Tuesday night.
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