On April 23, Klahowya High School’s girls lacrosse team faced Bellarmine Preparatory, resulting in a final score of 20 -7 Bellarmine. This game was primarily controlled by Bellarmine via multiple scoring runs and capitalized on turnovers. Despite the final score, Klahowya continued to compete and displayed growth against a strong opponent.

“We were resilient,” Head Coach Kelly Brennan said. “Despite knowing that we were going into this [game] playing a tougher team, we still tried to have our own goals.”

Klahowya started the game strong with early energy as Clara Calkin (#12) scored less than two minutes into the first quarter. Both teams experienced early turnovers while adjusting to the pace, but Bellarmine Preparatory took advantage of those mistakes more effectively. Bellarmine Preparatory went on a seven-goal run, giving them a 7-1 lead at the end of the quarter.

“We work together as a team, and we communicate,” Captain Olivia Keough said. “If we see something happening, we come together, talk about it and try to find a way to fix it. One of their girls was coming around doing picks, so we talked about how to prevent those.”
*A pick is when a player positions themselves to block a defender, freeing a teammate to pass or shoot.*

In the second quarter, Klahowya began to find more consistently on offense and limit some of their turnovers. Calkin (#12) added another goal, and Olivia Walters (#11) followed with two consecutive goals as Klahowya improved their ball movement. Even with those adjustments, Bellarmine Preparatory responded again with many unanswered goals to take a 13 – 4 lead into halftime.

“There was a lot more communication when we had turnovers,” Captain Trinity Ranes said. “We called the picks when we saw them and called ‘who we had’ more. Just pushing through the game, [even when] we are down by a bunch.”

Bellarmine Preparatory came out strong in the third quarter, scoring two quick goals from face-offs. Klahowya respond with better communication and minefield play, which led to another goal from Calkin (#12). However, Bellarmine Preparatory continued to score on possessions and extended their lead to 18 – 6 by the end of the quarter.

“[The] game plan was to try our best,” Brennan said. So making sure we could control the things we could control.”

The fourth quarter reflected continued effort from Klahowya as both teams exchanged possessions. Bellarmine Preparatory added two more goals, while Klahowya’s defense showed improvement in slowing fast breaks. In the final minute, Penelope Woestman (#16) Scored after collecting a ground ball, bringing the final score to 20 – 7 Bellarmine.

“Penelope’s confidence has come a long way,” Brennan said. “When she gets ground balls by herself she now knows what to do with them and has the confidence to just take it to a safe space.”

Throughout the game, Klahowya emphasized teamwork and maintaining a positive mindset during difficult stretches. Players worked to call out the other teams plays, organized defensively, and respond to turnovers more effectively as the game progressed. Those adjustments helped the team remain engaged and continue competing through the final whistle.

“We scored more goals than they thought we were going to,” Brennan said. “Their starters got pulled as a result and [were] spoken to from our actions and that’s the best thing.”