Lexington’s girls lacrosse team knocked off region rival River Bluff 12-6 to advance to its second straight 5A Division I championship game.

The Wildcats captured their first state title in program history last season and are looking to follow it with another. 

“It feels so awesome,” head coach Tiffany Tortorello said after the game. “I think a lot of people counted us out at the beginning because we lost a lot of upperclassmen. It feels awesome for these girls to put the work in and deserve to be there.”

The Wildcats lost nine seniors from last season’s squad, but despite this, the team has looked just as dominant. 

Lexington is going into the championship match riding a 15-game win streak, with its last loss coming in February. Since then, the team has not missed a beat. 

“We were able to just build with what we had and grow to create a team that’s going to win,” star midfielder Lily Sundell.

Sundell finished the game with four goals. Teammate McKenna Bowen added three. 

“She is my best friend, and I didn’t want it to be our last game together,” Sundell said. “We were meant to be here, and they aren’t. So, we had to put our pedal to the metal and score those goals.”

River Bluff made things interesting early in the second half when they pulled within a point of Lexington. Despite this push from the Gators, the Wildcats did not panic and eventually reopened their lead. 

“The girls knew what they were doing,” Tortorello said. “ They just need to keep their composure and also play the way that we were supposed to play.”

It was Lexington’s second win of the season over River Bluff. In the regular season, Lexington won 15-5. 

The Wildcats will have to play another familiar opponent if they want to get their second straight ring. 

Lexington will play Spartanburg on Saturday at Irmo High School for the 5A Division I state title. 

The Wildcats last loss came against the Vikings, 17-10, on Feb. 27. However, that game was more than two months ago, and this is a much more developed Lexington team. 

“We’ve made adjustments for that,” Tortorello said. “ They're a great team. They're coached by a great coach, so it's just gonna be a good match-up for either way.”