Sports
Bombers Lacrosse Team Stays Unbeaten
Charlotte Martin scores four goals and Emily Valli adds three in a hard-fought 11-7 victory over Villa Duchesne Wednesday.
Emily Valli is back. And it appears that the John Burroughs' senior is better than ever.
Valli, who was the West Side Lax (WSL) Missouri Girls Lacrosse Player of the Year in 2009, had to sit out the entire 2010 season after surgery on a torn MCL that she suffered during the field hockey season.
The Bombers finished third in the state tournament without Valli last year after winning the title in 2009.
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With Valli back in the lineup, it appears that the Bombers will again be one of the favorites this season.
"It was so frustrating having to sit out last season," said Valli, who will play collegiately at Ohio State University in the fall. "But I feel fully recovered and stronger than ever. The ultimate goal is to win state as a senior."
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Valli's presence along with Charlotte Martin have helped the Bombers to an undefeated start this season. Martin scored four goals and Valli added three in a hard-fought 11-7 victory over Villa Duchesne Wednesday.
"It is invaluable to have Emily back this season," said Bomber coach Megan O'Malley. "She and Charlotte are the heart and soul of the team. They are true leaders on the field and their teammates really look up to them. It is because of how they play rather than what they say."
It was O'Malley who had plenty to say at halftime as the game was tied 5-5. It was the first time that the Bombers had been challenged this season. They had outscored their first five opponents by a combined score of 61-11.
"We were not ourselves in the first half," O'Malley said. "They wanted it more than we did. We played much better in the second half."
Valli and Martin each scored two goals in the first six and a half minutes of the second half to give the Bombers a 9-5 lead.
Lauren Mangano scored four goals for the Saints, who also received tremendous goaltending from Mackenzie Sullivan.
"We have had a lot of girls sick and out," Saints coach Andrew Shipp said. "Today we had everybody healthy and they stepped up and played incredibly well. Mackenzie was amazing and the defense played really well."
The Saints dropped to 2-3 on the season while the Bombers, who will travel to Chicago this weekend for three games, improved to 6-0.