Despite taking a one-goal lead into halftime, the Riverview Rams’ postseason run came to an end Tuesday night as they fell to the top-seeded Lakewood Ranch Mustangs, 15–8, in the FHSAA District 12 Girls Lacrosse Championship.

Riverview, the tournament’s No. 3 seed, battled toe-to-toe with Lakewood Ranch throughout the first half and carried a 5–4 advantage into the break after an impressive opening 24 minutes. However, the Mustangs seized control in the second half, erupting for 11 goals to pull away and secure the district title.

Junior midfielder Ashley Eisenacher paced the Rams offensively with four goals, while junior attacker Kat Hodapp added three scores in the loss. Maria Berzins contributed three assists to help lead the Riverview attack.

In goal, junior Verite Molinaro delivered a standout performance despite the defeat, recording a career-high 16 saves to keep the Rams competitive throughout the contest.

The Riverview Rams Varsity Girls (2-1) traveled to Bradenton for a District 11 matchup against the Lakewood Ranch Mustangs (1-1). The Rams jumped out to a 12-7 lead in the first half as a result of 5 goals by sophomore Chloe Hackl, and hat-tricks by junior Susan Lowther and sophomore Caroline Steinwachs. By the end of the game, 7 different Rams contribute to the scoring barrage and Riverview secured a 20-10 win over the Mustangs.  Riverview’s scoring was lead by Lowther with 10 points (4G/6A), Hackl with 8 points, and a career high of 7 goals, and Steinwachs with 7 points (6G/1A). Emily Hazlett, Katie Hazlett and Clementine Schwartz also added a goal. Lakewood Ranch’s scoring was led by junior Brooke Harris with 4 goals and senior Morgan McCabe with 3 goals.

Steinwachs and Lowther had a strong night on the draw circle, winning 80% of the draws (25/31). Senior Mia Rey had 8 saves in goal.

RIVERVIEW RAMS RECORD!
Congratulations to Riverview’s Susan Lowther on her 6 assists in the game, which moved her into #1 position for Career Assists for the Rams, with 62 Assists. The assist record was previously held by Ronnie McCurdy (2018) with 56 career assists. As a junior, Lowther now holds all three career scoring records for the Rams, with 181 points, 119 goals, and 62 assists. Congratulations, Susan!

A decisive District win for the Rams against the Lakewood Ranch Mustangs.  Success at the draw circle, 14-for-21, led to a 12-8 victory for Riverview.  Both Susan Lowther and Riley Spingler had 4 goals, apiece.  Alana Sotolongo’s 4 takeaways on defense were key to keeping the ball out of the Ram’s offensive zone.  Mia Rey had 9 saves in goal.