Twin sisters Livy and Gabby LaVerghetta lead Garrison Forest girls lacrosse to 11-5 victory at Mount de Sales

Junior Livy LaVerghetta scored six goals and added two assists, while her twin sister, Gabby, had a pair of goals to lead visiting Garrison Forest girls lacrosse to an 11-5 victory over Mount de Sales on Tuesday.

Neither team led by more than a goal through the first 18 minutes.

Maddie Herman started the scoring for Mount de Sales, off a Sarah Litz assist, before Gabby and Livy LaVerghetta pulled the Grizzlies ahead, 2-1. Herman scored her second to tie the game at 2.

Livy LaVerghetta and Taylor Vizcarrando exchanged goals, but Allison Fling scored to start an 8-0 Garrison Forest run over the next 17:35.

“I think we just settled down and focused on working as a team instead of more individual work and we definitely did better in transition getting the ball up to the offense,” Livy LaVerghetta said.

The Sailors went scoreless for 20 minutes until Mackenzie Conley scored the first of her two goals late in the game.

The key to the run was draw and time of possession dominance. Fling took a majority of the draws and Livy LaVerghetta scooped up several ground balls from the circle.

“I would just say we have a really good connection on the draw, we have our little calls and everything and we just communicate really well and know where the ball is going,” Livy said.

Garrison Forest coach Liza Blue said that is something her squad needed to improve.

“Draws have been a little bit of a weak point for us the last few games and so that has been our focus in practice and not just the draw taker, but the girls on the circle as well,” Blue said.

Livy LaVerghetta scored the last two goals of the first half and the first two of the second half before Annie Marshall chipped in one, making it 9-3. The final two goals for the Grizzlies came off assists from Livy to her twin sister Gabby.

“We’ve been playing since we were 5. We work in the backyard together all the time,” Livy said.

“Livy is one of our quickest players, we moved her to attack this year from midfield and we are trying to utilize her in every way on the offensive end,” Blue said. “Her speed is hard to match and she feeds off her twin. It’s a great chemistry between the two of them.”

Mount de Sales coach Eric Pfeiler has seen Livy’s scoring act before.

“She scores that many on us every time and everybody else,” he said.

Any chance for a rally was squelched by solid goalkeeping from Emine Luznar and defense from senior captain Grace Barta.

“[Barta] is having a phenomenal season defensively, and also on the draw circle,” Blue said.

The Grizzlies improved to 3-4 in the IAAM A Conference with their next game on Thursday at Roland Park.

“We’ve been playing three games a week so it’s been tough,” Blue said. “Today, we were able to put it together, but credit to Mount de Sales in that first half, they came out strong.”

The Sailors dropped to 3-7 overall and 1-6 in conference.

“They work hard, they play hard, but we just do it to ourselves,” said Pfeiler, who lost a defender and three starting midfielders to injury, including his daughter, Katie, to a torn ACL.