By Jeremy McDonald

jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com

KEIZER, Ore.– Sasha Thayer paced the McNary Varsity Girls Lacrosse team Monday night against the Grant JV Black team, scoring two of her three goals in the 11-7 defeat to the Generals early in the first half of the non-league contest to help the Celtics build a 3-1 lead.

McNary, being the lone Girls Lacrosse team in Salem and drawing girls from around town for their squad, had showed strong spurts like they did to start the game throughout.  After a three-goal run by Grant, who has three teams in their program, the Celts tied it up at four following a Rose Langen-Swartzensrube goal going into the final minute of the half.

Five total girls scored in Monday’s game as Grant responded with two quick goals to go into the half up 6-4.

But just as the General rebuilt their two-goal lead, McNary mounted yet another rally.  Turning a 7-5 deficit into a 7-7 tie at the 15:22 mark of the second half.  Each half are 25 minutes, running clock.  Thayer and Gabriella Puentes-Gray split the two goals coming down the stretch.

Consistency, however, was not in the Celtics favor.  They couldn’t string those spurts together for the complete game like their General counterparts did with Grant pulling away over the final 15 minutes of the game for the 11-7 victory at McNary High School.

“I think we did really well for almost being a brand-new team.  Seven of us have never played before,” Thayer, a South Salem student, said.  “Just (got to be) more consistent with ground balls and getting the ball off the ground.”

McNary will next host West Albany next Tuesday in a Willamette Valley match-up.  The first face-off will be at 7:30pm

Photos By Jeremy McDonald