They knew they had the talent. All they needed to do was rid themselves of the specter of being eliminated by Fontbonne two years in a row. The way they came out in the first period eliminated that worry, and starting the second period it looked like they were ready to get down to serious business.

In a show of dominance for most of the morning, the Lady Dragons still had to rely on a great individual effort by sophomore Hannah Murphy with 45 second left in regulation to beat the Ducks of Fontbonne, 2-1, earning the teams’ first State title in the 10-year old program.

“The girls worked hard all year long and they were pumped for this game,” said Coach Friend Weiler. “There was a little extra energy out there and a little extra spring in our step because they had beaten us the last two years. They say the third time is a charm and this was for all the marbles.”

Disappointed by their first period drought, the Lady Dragons wasted little time in the middle stanza when Briana Connolly came out of the corner to the goalie’s left and fired a shot that broke through her pads for a 1-0 lead just 39 seconds after the face-off whistle.