LADUE — Rosalie Tasker wanted her team to get off to a good start Thursday afternoon, and she helped deliver one.
The John Burroughs junior attacker scored three of her four goals during a tone-setting run in the game's first 12 minutes and the Bombers never looked back in a 16-8 win over Cor Jesu in a Missouri Scholastic Lacrosse Association girls semifinal game at Burroughs' Leland Field.
“I think it was really important for us to get a head start and the momentum,” said Tasker, whose outburst helped John Burroughs build an early 6-1 lead. “With all the fans cheering us on, it was just so exciting.”
The No. 1 seed Bombers (14-3) advanced to the MSLA girls championship game for the first time in nine years and will seek their first title since 2012 when they take on second-seeded Eureka (15-1) at noon Saturday at Burroughs.
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“This group, I think, all year long has been focusing on working hard and having fun and just making every day count,” Burroughs coach Meghan DiGiulio said. “That was sort of our emphasis for today. This group, they love each other and they truly play as a team and support each other.”
The Bombers also jumped in front of Cor Jesu 6-0 in the teams' regular-season matchup just two weeks ago, but the game eventually went to overtime before Burroughs prevailed 14-13.
But there would be no comeback this time for the fifth-seeded Chargers (12-7), who will play sixth-seeded MICDS (10-7) for third place at 10 a.m. Saturday.
“They (Burroughs) are really good. They were without (Reese) Rafferty that game, so that made a huge difference having that lefty in there,” Cor Jesu coach Andrew Shipp said. “We just didn't have it today. They struggled a little bit with finding that next pass. Give it to Burroughs, their defense was able to hold us off today.”
Nadia Steinle got the Bombers offense going with the game's first goal just 1 minute 20 seconds in and Tasker followed with her first tally more than two minutes later. After Cor Jesu's Anna Loeffelman scored, the Bombers got a pair of goals from Annie Calhoon and one from Tasker to make it 6-1 at the midway point of the first half.
“We had that tough regular-season game that went to overtime after we jumped out quickly in that game, too, so it was nice to see them maintain that momentum and stay in the moment,” DiGiulio said.
It was still a five-goal game when Burroughs was whistled for a two-minute non-releasable penalty and the Chargers took advantage with goals by Izzy Hibey and Loeffelman to get to within 7-4.
That was as close as Cor Jesu would got the rest of the way, as Burroughs tallied three of the final four goals of the first half to lead 10-5 at the intermission.
“The name of the game at that point was possession,” Tasker said. “We didn't want to force anything. We didn't want as many turnovers. We just wanted the game in our control at that point.”
Just as she did to start the game, Steinle scored the first goal of the second half to put the Bombers up by six and the Chargers would only get to within five on one occasion the rest of the way.
“We'd get one, they'd get two. We'd get one, they'd get two. It was just tough,” Shipp said. “They're a very good team and I think Meghan's got them firing on all cylinders right now.”
Tasker, Calhoon and Steinle each scored four goals apiece to lead the Burroughs offense. Loeffelman led all scorers with five of Cor Jesu's six goals, but the Bomber defense was able to hold the rest of the Charger offense in check to punch their ticket to the final.
“We are just so excited,” Tasker said. “We're so happy to be there as a team. We love each other so much and we work so hard together. Every single practice, it's just been keep on fighting one step closer to the championship, so this has been our goal.”
