Teams don’t usually get a shot of confidence after losing, but Liberty’s girls’ lacrosse team might be the outlier.

The Hurricanes fell to top-seeded Pleasant Valley 14-11 in last week’s EPC quarterfinals, but the result was indicative of the team’s recent play and only helped boost their mentality as they prep for districts next week.

The Hurricanes (10-9) were winners of four straight to end the regular season and clinch a district berth, and nobody really gave them much of a chance against Pleasant Valley, a program which has been one of the top teams in District 11.

Head coach Samantha Rella was proud of how her team performed and thinks there could be more of that to come.

“Being ahead by two at halftime and tied going into the fourth quarter against one of the top teams in the state is a huge accomplishment for our program,” said Rella. “Unfortunately, some cards hurt our momentum late and allowed PV to take the lead and hold onto it, but our team continued to battle until the final whistle.”

Julianna Zumas led the ‘Canes with four goals on the night and Ellis Corr and Lily Medaska each scored three goals.

Christina Bozakis had a goal, and four assists, and Erika Broesicke had nine saves.

Proving that they can go toe-to-toe with any team in District 11 will certainly bode well for Liberty when they get seeded this weekend for the district tournament, knowing they’ll have to play one of the top seeds early.

Rella and company are ready for the challenge.

“More than anything, this game gives us confidence heading into districts,” she said. “The girls continue to work together, trust each other, and have fun playing the game they love.

That game was a huge moment for our program as it marked our first-ever EPC appearance, and I could not be more proud of the way our team competed. We put up a great fight against an excellent Pleasant Valley team and showed exactly what our program is capable of.”