By IRENE FEHER

As 17 seconds were left on the clock, the Palisades dolphins had the ball but the Lady Patriots ended winning  the game and taking home the Girls Lacrosse Division II City Championship.

“We were up 6-5, but Palisades had the last ball as 17 seconds were left,” varsity player Ana Perez said. “I was afraid that Palisades would’ve scored another goal, making it tied 6-6. I didn’t want to go into overtime.”

On May 17, the Birmingham Community Charter High School girls lacrosse team played Palisades Charter High School in the finals of Division II playoffs. In the first round of playoffs the lady patriots won against Valley Academy of Arts and Sciences by a score of 14-1. The varsity lacrosse team felt both excited but not surprised that they qualified for the playoffs.

“Both Palisades and Birmingham have won against each other before, so I was nervous on how the team would play,” Perez ,who plays straight defense, said. “I also had to play my best for the whole match to win, since there were no subs for my position.”

Their great offensive and defensive plays was the main reason why the Patriots defeated the Dolphins.

“The key to winning was our strong defense and having the offense play smart,” varsity captain Evelyn Lopez said. “The offense spread out throughout the field and were able to move the ball around.”

Senior Kathy Lopez felt confident in her team that they would do well in season in order to qualify for the playoffs.

“I think we’ve improved very much from last year and we have accomplished a lot as a team,” co-captain Lopez said.