Negating Upper Arlington’s speed topped Olentangy Liberty’s checklist for the Division I girls lacrosse state final June 7, and both teams agreed afterward that the Patriots fulfilled that goal.
The game did not slow quite enough, however, for Liberty’s Eloise Pohmer to get the correct stick in her hands as the first half expired on a warm, humid afternoon at Historic Crew Stadium.
Nonetheless, the goal the junior midfielder managed to score as the clock reached triple zeroes will stand as one of the biggest of her career.
Pohmer’s goal from free position pulled the Patriots into a 5-5 halftime tie, snapping a 4-0 UA run and kick-starting a strong second half as Liberty fended off its OCC-Central rival for a 9-8 win and a third straight title in the fourth consecutive state final played between the teams.
Pohmer scored using a longer draw stick, not the usual fielder’s equipment that typically is several inches shorter.
“I used that draw stick for the first time ever, never had touched it, and I knew what had to be done,” said Pohmer, who won a draw with about 20 seconds left in the half. “It was quick. I knew I wasn’t going to let them go into halftime winning so I knew something had to be done, so I took the ball and went. Not a thought in my mind.
“It also helped our momentum. Going into the third quarter, we had it.”
Ohio State-bound senior midfielder Megan Benton, sophomore attacker Mary Tate and Pohmer netted goals in the first 4 minutes of the second half for an 8-5 lead, and the Patriots held a 9-6 advantage going to the fourth. Pohmer finished with three goals.
UA senior midfielder Evie Ruma, a Clemson signee, scored her fourth goal from free position with 4:25 left in regulation, and off a turnover senior midfielder Berkeley Thomas – like Benton an OSU signee – scored 48 seconds later to make it 9-8.
The Golden Bears put together a final charge in the last minute, and a point-blank shot from junior midfielder Claire Iams was stopped by Liberty senior goalie Evie Howenstine. The Patriots ran out the clock from there.
“My goalie coach [Kevin McDermott] always tells me to bait a little, so I baited to the stick [right] side,” Howenstine said. “I just stepped to it and the ball landed right in my stick. I was just so calm. That’s what helped me through it.”
Benton and senior attacker Aubrey Bartosik each added two goals for Liberty (20-3), which finished the season on a 13-game winning streak and won 14 of 15 after a 14-5 loss at UA on April 14.
“We really weren’t prepared for what they were capable of [in April] and we have worked hard so we would be ready to keep up with their speed,” Pohmer said.
Liberty led 4-1 late in the second quarter before UA (22-2) turned a handful of draw controls into a 4-0 run.
Ruma scored twice and senior attackers Rylan Clark and Ella Smith each had one goal. Ruma’s second tally with 28 seconds left in the half put UA ahead 5-4.
Junior Tori Maurer made three saves for UA, which fell short of its 12th all-time title and first since 2023.
“We ran the defense we ran all season, but in the same breath because they got up and took the wind out of our sails, it took us out of our game plan,” Bears coach Megan Sengelmann Strapp said. “They did a good job of slowing us down and holding the ball, which is what they’re known for.”
The game was the eighth consecutive Division I state final between central Ohio teams and ninth all-time.
That streak was in jeopardy June 2, but Liberty scored the final five goals of its semifinal against Hudson to win 9-8 in overtime.
That was the same score of last year’s final, and the third year in a row Liberty and UA have played a one-goal championship game. In 2024, Liberty won 6-5.
“We figured out the type of team that we are,” Patriots coach Tim Bosco said. “We’re not a 16- or 17-goal per game type of team, which we have had the luxury of being the past couple years. Once we figured that out, then mix in an all-state goalie and a really, really good defense, we settled into who we are and it worked.”
(This story has been updated with quotes, new photos and a gallery.)
High school sports reporter Dave Purpura can be reached at dpurpura@dispatch.com and at @dp_dispatch on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Liberty beats Upper Arlington for third straight OHSAA lacrosse title
Reporting by Dave Purpura, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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By Dave Purpura, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
