Fallston girls lacrosse ‘finally’ gets over the hump, beating Southern-AA, 14-7, for Class 1A state title
Fallston girls lacrosse ambled toward the sideline of Stevenson University’s Mustang Stadium to receive its consolation prize. They watched, hungry and dejected, as the team across the way wrapped their necks in first-prize medals and collectively hoisted the bronze-plated, wooden prize.
That was 2021. They endured the same drill in 2022. And again in 2023 — each time to Liberty.
But this is 2024, the year this 13-deep senior class will forever remember as the one that got them over the hump. The one where they earned every share of a spirited celebration. When, for them, it felt a little sweeter — a mixture of joy and relief — to toss their masks and sticks into the spring air considering the trek it took to get here, capped by a 14-7 win over Southern-AA.
“Finally,” senior attacker Ava Lambros sighed. “Finally, finally, finally.”
Ayla Galloway, a fellow senior captain and midfielder, added: “So much relief just knowing that everything we did in the last three years, we finally put it together today.”
Their win came roughly two hours after the Fallston boys program celebrated its state championship on the same field. This was only the second time in school history that the boys and girls team won state titles in the same season (2012). Although Wednesday evening’s win wasn’t as simple as getting here and doubling their opposition’s score.
Fallston clung to an 11-7 lead after three quarters. The Cougars had just lost Galloway for the remainder of the game after she received her second yellow card. It was also the team’s fourth, meaning they’d play down a girl the rest of the way. In the between-quarters timeout, coach Maddie Palko gathered her group. She could sense the uncertainty in their eyes after losing such a key player and setting themselves up for a disadvantageous next 12 minutes.
“They make fun of me,” Palko said, “but I am a nervous pacer. I essentially told them, ‘No. We don’t get to act frustrated. You play composed. We play our game. This changes nothing.'”
Even if there wasn’t a reminder of the past three years verbalized in the huddle, the thought lingered over Fallston like a dark cloud. Palko did everything she could to inject confidence back into her team. Anything to get her girls to smile again. Ease their nerves.
Then, the universe gave them a sign.
Whenever Palko has a moment of frustration toward her team, for any number of inconsequential reasons, the Cougars players play her the same song. Palko is a self-described obsessive for the band Journey. So they cue up “Don’t Stop Believing.” It eases the tension, puts Palko at ease.
During that timeout, in which Fallston’s season appeared on thin ice despite a four-goal lead, the stadium DJ sent the chorus to “Don’t Stop Believing” bellowing over the field. Palko broke out into dance. “It’s a sign!” they screamed to one another.
A Southern yellow card briefly evened the playing field and Lambros capitalized with a goal at 7:44 in the fourth to make it 12-7. Anna Miller piled on 40 seconds later with another as they both finished with a team-high four goals. Suddenly the Cougars felt recentered.
“We play better when we’re having fun,” Lambros said. “That’s what Palko was trying to get us to do in that huddle and it obviously worked.”
In previous years, Liberty was their Voldemort. It was forbidden to say out loud amongst the group, which might have done more harm than good in recent years. This year, they were far more honest. “We’re not feeling this way again,” said Sydney Grafton, who finished with a hat trick. Fallston since became a far more mentally tough group, celebrating every little win and refusing to let a teammate seep into doubt.
Fallston finally got its turn on the winning side. The Cougars went second in the postgame celebration, wrapping their necks with first-place medals as each player’s name was called out one by one.
Palko was first to be handed the trophy. She turned back and handed it over to her group. Palko stepped back and took a moment. Like a proud mom, she admired as the girls hoisted it toward the clouds, letting out four years of pent up frustration, finally getting the job done.
“I knew I was gonna be sad today regardless,” Palko said, fighting back tears. “Because I have to say goodbye to kids that I love like they’re mine, that I fight with like they’re mine, that drive me crazy like they’re mine. That’s gonna be tough.”