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OLMSTED FALLS, Ohio – The sensational sophomore Kaleigh Conte cemented her place as one of the top lacrosse players in the state with a fantastic 6 goal performance tonight as the Olmsted Falls Bulldogs defeated the Padua Bruins 17-1. Making things even more special for the Bulldogs was the fact that it was senior night!
I spoke with Conte postgame about how special it was to win big on senior night, “It’s amazing for the seniors because they work really hard, and we wanted to make this night special for them.” Conte couldn’t be contained tonight as she had her way around the net. She had this to say about the explosion of goals, “ You just have to be confident on the field and know how to move the ball. At the same time don’t be selfish, my teammates made some great passes.”
Conte was far from alone tonight as it was a total team effort that saw Madison Bond have a hat trick of goals while Reese Sedlacek scored twice. Also scoring for the Bulldogs was Ella Atkins with two while Sienna Varga, Izzy Abramovich, Teagan Linn and Kayley Schmidt each had one.
An early goal by Madison Bond was called back but she was immediately given a second crack at it, however the free possession was saved by Padua. A few moments later it was Kaleigh Conte getting it going for the Bulldogs as the feisty sophomore found the back of the net with a blistering shot. The Bulldogs extended their lead to 2-0 on a Conte free possession goal at the 5:11 mark of the second.
The next Bulldog goal came with 3:13 left in the first as Reese Sedlacek ran the distance of the field and pierced though Bruin defenders to score. The 9th graders goal, gave the Bulldogs a commanding lead that they would soon add on to as Kaleigh Conte stole a pass out of the air and all in one motion shot it to score. It was a thing of brilliance that you will not see from many players her age. Just like that, it was 4-0 Olmsted Falls with 2:06 left in the opening quarter.
The Bulldogs went on to take a 6-0 lead after one, as more goals were scored by Ella Atkins and Madison Bond. The two seniors put the game seemingly out of reach with 3 quarters to go as Padua just couldn’t seem to get an attack going.
After closing out the first quarter with a goal, Bond opened the second quarter with one, seconds in to increase the Olmsted Falls lead to 7-0. It was then that Ella Atkins made a beautiful goal. She caught the pass and spun all in one motion, whipping the ball into the net. That was a Sportscenter Top 10 if I’ve ever seen one! This highlight reel shot increased the Bulldog lead to 8-0 with 9:59 to play in the second quarter.
It just kept coming for the Bulldogs, as it was Sienna Varga scoring shortly after that, to bust it open at 9-0 with 9:12 to play in the second. It took a while for the Bulldogs to score again as Padua played aggressive for a stretch, but eventually it was Conte striking again, for her fourth goal of the night with 1:58 to play in the second quarter. This made it 10-0 and started the running clock.
Izzy Abramovich kept it rolling for the Bulldogs at 11-0 only seconds after the Conte goal. The game went to halftime with that same score, shortly after that.
The second verse was the same as the first as the Bulldogs began the second half by scoring yet again. This time it was a free possession goal by Teagan Linn. From there, the Kaleigh Conte show resumed with her fifth goal of the tilt. The Bulldogs went on to take a 14-0 lead into the final quarter.
The fourth quarter began with something ultra familiar, a Kaleigh Conte goal off of a free possession to increase the Bulldog lead to 15-0 with 10:39 to play in the game. A goal by Schmucki and a hat trick goal by Bond increased the lead to 17-0.
Padua did manage to avoid being blanked when their top scorer Ava Bonfili found the net with 3:17 left in the game. The game ended by that same score.
Congrats to Olmsted Falls seniors Madison Bond, Ella Atkins, Hannah Godey, Teagan Linn and Monica VanArnherm.
