EGR Makes Most of Long-Awaited Finals Opportunity
By
Perry A. Farrell
Special for MHSAA.com
June 12, 2021
NOVI – The frightening thing about East Grand Rapids’ girls lacrosse roster this season is there was just one senior.
The Pioneers beat Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood 15-11 Saturday afternoon at Novi High School to claim their seventh Division 2 title.
It was an opportunity last year’s seniors didn’t receive due to COVID-19 forcing a canceled season, and that wasn’t lost on their former teammates who came back this spring.
“It was really tough last year; we had so many seniors that we loved so much and were excited about playing with,’’ said junior Lucy Cavanaugh, who had six assists and scored four goals for EGR. “This year we wanted to come in strong. We only have one senior this year. Some of these juniors had never played on varsity. We worked so hard this year, and we practiced so much.’’
Junior Lizzie Lundeen, who had scored 102 goals heading into this week, added five more in the finale.
“The only goals that were important were the ones scored in this game,’’ she said. “We practiced all the time. Eliana (LaMange) played great. She had that goal just before half, (that) was amazing. We felt a lot stronger with that goal.
“This was surreal because we’ve had a long, strung-out season because of COVID. We didn’t want to take it for granted.’’
Regulars in the Division 2 Final, East Grand Rapids previously had won six titles while Cranbrook (13-7) had captured championships in 2017 and 2018.
East Grand Rapids (23-2) wasted no time scoring as Lundeen netted her first 40 seconds into the fray for a 1-0 lead.
Cavanaugh tacked on the Pioneers’ second goal for a 2-0 lead as play stayed in the Cranbrook end.
Cranbrook finally got out of its end and scored on a goal by junior Riya Batra to cut the deficit in half. The Cranes then tied it 2-2 on a goal by Lilli Sherman.
Lundeen scored her second goal of the game for a 3-2 lead with Cavanaugh getting her second assist.
Lola Norton tied the game at 3 for Cranbrook at the 15:13 mark, and the Cranes took their first lead on a goal by Eryn McLaughlin with 12:33 left in the first half.
LaMange tied the game for EGR on Cavanaugh’s third assist, then Cavanaugh scored her second goal to give the Pioneers a 5-4 lead, and LaMange scored her second to make it 6-4. Lundeen scored her third to give EGR a 7-4.
Mallory Brophy scored for the Cranes to make it 7-5. Oliva DeMuth got the Cranes’ to within one goal with a score with 2:37 left in the first half.
Lundeen scored her fourth goal of the half to give the Pioneers an 8-6 lead and tacked on her fifth to put the Pioneers three up. LaMange scored her third just before the buzzer to put EGR up 10-6.
Cavanaugh scored her third to start the second half as East Grand Rapids opened up an 11-6 lead.
The teams traded goals with LaMange scoring her fourth of the game to make it 12-7. Cavanaugh responded with her fourth to increase the lead to 13-7.
EGR started pouring it on as LaMange scored her fifth to make it 14-7.
Consecutive goals by Brophy and Ella Lantigua cut the East Grand Rapids lead to 15-10 with 8:26 left in the game.
After an EGR timeout, the Pioneers went into a four corners offense, draining two minutes off the clock.
“They are a class act,’’ said Cranbrook coach Jeanne Woodbury. “We didn’t play as well as we liked, but we’re a young team and we have a chance to get back.’’
PHOTOS: (Top) East Grand Rapids' Eliana LaMange (24) fires a shot during Saturday's Division 2 Final. (Middle) Cranbrook's Lilli Sherman (14) works to take possession from EGR.
Preview: Titles to be Decided by Rematch, Matchup of 1st-Title Hopefuls
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
June 6, 2025
Saturday’s MHSAA Girls Lacrosse Finals at University of Michigan will begin with a rematch of the 2024 title decider and conclude with a matchup of teams making their first championship game appearances in more than a decade.
Detroit Country Day will take on Grand Rapids Catholic Central at 11 a.m. with the Division 2 title on the line and after the Cougars won last year’s season finale 10-9.
Hartland and South Lyon United will follow in the Division 1 Final at 2 p.m., with the winner claiming the champion's trophy in this sport for the first time.
Below is a glance at all four teams playing at U-M. Rankings as part of “best wins” are based on the Michigan Power Rating formula. Tickets cost $11 and are good for both games, and may be purchased online only at GoFan.
Both games will be broadcast and available with subscription from MHSAA.tv.
Division 1
HARTLAND
Record/MPR: 20-5, No. 7
League finish: Second in Kensington Lakes Activities Association West
Coach: Ryan Skomial, first season (16-4)
Championship history: Division 1 runner-up 2012.
Best wins: 7-6 over No. 4 Rockford in Semifinal, 8-7 over No. 3 Lake Orion in Regional Final, 19-7 over No. 8 Holt in Regional Semifinal, 8-6 over No. 10 White Lake Lakeland in Regional Quarterfinal, 8-2 over No. 6 Birmingham United, 8-2 and 9-6 over No. 9 Bloomfield Hills.
Players to watch: Amanda Norton, jr. M; Ella Ebright, sr. A; Claire Pielack, jr. G.
Outlook: Still one of the state’s all-time leading scorers 12 years after graduating, Skomial has returned to Hartland this season after helping lead Brighton to the last three Division 1 championships – including as head coach in 2022 – and now has Hartland playing in a Final for the first time since her junior season. After losing three one-goal games during the regular season, the Eagles have won two straight in two of the biggest games in program history.
SOUTH LYON UNITED
Record/MPR: 20-0, No. 1
League finish: First in Lakes Valley Conference
Coach: Deanna Radcliffe, ninth season (143-26)
Championship history: Division 1 runner-up 2008.
Best wins: 12-6 over No. 5 Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood in Semifinal, 12-9 (Regional Final) and 8-7 (OT) over No. 2 Brighton, 13-4 and 9-5 over No. 10 White Lake Lakeland, 15-6 over No. 9 Bloomfield Hills, 15-8 over No. 3 Lake Orion, 10-3 over No. 8 Holt, 15-7 over No. 6 Birmingham United.
Players to watch: Shaelyn Perry, jr. M (46 goals, 21 assists); Reagan Shields, soph. A (50 goals, 33 assists); Madison Lukas, soph. A/M (35 goals, 8 assists); Alyssa Jakubiec, jr. A (31 goals, 16 assists).
Outlook: Radcliffe – who is in her second tenure at South Lyon after also coaching at Hartland from 2013-22 – has the Lions undefeated just like when she took them into the 2008 championship game. Since opening the season with a one-goal win over Brighton, South Lyon United’s closest game has been three goals in their Regional Final rematch with the Bulldogs. Junior attacks Gabriela Lucchesi (27 goals, 20 assists) and Gianna Lucchesi (25/17), senior mid Courtney Putnam (23/17) and sophomore defender Cate Cumberland (14/9) also are among top scorers.
Division 2
DETROIT COUNTRY DAY
Record/MPR: 16-3, No. 1
League finish: Does not play in a conference.
Coach: Liz Nussbaum, second season (33-7-1)
Championship history: Division 2 champion 2023, three runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 19-8 over No. 9 Saline in Semifinal, 11-10 over No. 2 East Grand Rapids, 21-3 over No. 6 Haslett, 9-6 and 18-6 over No. 3 Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 17-11 and 12-6 over Division 1 No. 2 Brighton, 19-7 over Division 1 No. 5 Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, 19-5 over Division 1 No. 7 Hartland, 19-5 over Division 1 No. 6 Birmingham United.
Players to watch: Mary Pavlou, sr. A (76 goals, 13 assists); Charlotte Cook, fr. M (46 goals, 17 assists); Georgia Pavlou, sr. A (54 goals, 40 assists); Campbell Lindner, jr. G (7.08 goals-against average, .490 save %).
Outlook: Country Day will play in its fourth-straight championship game, having added runner-up finishes last spring and in 2022 to its title in 2023. All three of the Yellowjackets’ losses this spring came to opponents from Indiana or Illinois. Mary and George Pavlou are finishing up all-state careers and Cook looks to be one of the next class of standouts. Sophomore mid Jackie Calso (32 goals, 11 assists) is among leading scorers as well.
GRAND RAPIDS CATHOLIC CENTRAL
Record/MPR: 16-5, No. 3
League finish: Second in Ottawa-Kent Conference Tier 1
Coach: Joe Curcuru, second season (39-5)
Championship history: Division 2 champion 2024 and 2011.
Best wins: 19-3 over No. 6 Haslett in Semifinal, 8-7 over No. 2 East Grand Rapids in Regional Final, 15-3 (Regional Quarterfinal) and 10-9 (2OT) over No. 10 Spring Lake, 12-7 and 11-7 over No. 7 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central, 8-6 and 13-7 over Division 1 No. 4 Rockford, 12-5 over Division 1 No. 6 Birmingham United.
Players to watch: Catherine Marshall, sr. M (88 goals, 28 assists), Lily Engstrom, jr. M (86 goals, 32 assists), Alexandra Unzens, fr. A (14 goals, 6 assists); Samaya Dean, sr. G (6.55 goals-against average, .525 save %).
Outlook: The Cougars avenged a pair of regular-season losses to East Grand Rapids in the Regional Final on the way to earning this opportunity to repeat, and can complete it by avenging 9-6 and 18-6 defeats to Country Day from the season’s first five weeks. Marshall and Engstrom are one of the most potent 1-2 scoring pairs in the state and with Dean have been starring for multiple seasons. Seniors Ameila Sharpe (14 goals) and Claire Sullivan (12) also are among leading scorers from the attack spots. Catholic Central’s only other loss this season came to three-time reigning Division 1 champion Brighton.
PHOTO Grand Rapids Catholic Central players raise their sticks together during last season’s Division 2 championship win.