Riverside girls lacrosse earns trip back to state championship

Riverside jumped out to a fast start against Christ Church en route to a 23-9 upper state championship win. They’ll face Bishop England for state on Saturday at Irmo High School.

For the third time in the last four years, Riverside girls’ lacrosse is state championship-bound.

The Lady Warriors defeated Christ Church 23-9 on Monday night to clinch their place in the 2024 Class 4-A State Championship.

“These girls made it to the state semifinals last year, and they got throttled,” said Riverside head coach Thomas Riley. “I think that motivated them a lot coming into this year. They were dying to get back.”

Bella Bright paced the Lady Warriors with seven goals in the win. It was the first time Riverside and Christ Church had faced off since 2016—a matchup Riley had been itching to get on the schedule.

“We’ve tried to schedule [Christ Church] for the last few years and it just hadn’t worked out,” said Riley. “So we were excited for the opportunity to face them. They’re a great team and deserve credit.”

Riley said his team has been playing “at a high level” since the playoffs began and “came out firing” to pull away against the Lady Cavaliers.

“We came out of the gates hot. In girls’ lacrosse, it’s all about winning the draw. If you’re winning the draw, you’re controlling the game,” said Riley. “Believe it or not, last night, we weren’t even winning the draw. But our defense was just playing so well that it kept us out front, going the other way for fast-break scores.”

After the game, the Lady Warriors quickly learned of their state championship opponent. They’ll face off against Bishop England, one of the best teams in South Carolina and the nation. The Battling Bishops have won seven state championships in the past eight years and are currently on a 111-game win streak.

Yes, a 111-game win streak.

Riley knows the task is tall.

“They are an extremely well-coached team,” Riley said of Bishop England. “Coach [Jeffrey] Weiner has been at it for 50 years and done a fantastic job. And they play the right way, too. Those girls don’t play dirty, they just play great lacrosse.

“We know what we’re up against. All we can control is how we play. We can’t try to do anything special or different. We’re going to play our game and trust what’s gotten us this far.”

Riverside will face Bishop England at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 27, at Irmo High School in Irmo, SC.