By Nathan Max
WSL Executive Editor

Sophomore middie Emily Valli registered a team-high three points on two goals and one assist to lead No. 25 John Burroughs to a 6-4 victory over Nerinx Hall in the Missouri State High School Activities Association championship game Wednesday afternoon at John Burroughs.

Senior middie Erica Barnell added a pair of goals to help the Bombers (20-1) win their first state title in school history.

“It’s a Cinderella story,” John Burroughs head coach Peter Tasker said. “We shocked people with our improvement. It’s been a change of culture. The girls have basically forged a whole new program.”

John Burroughs was a hard-luck state quarterfinalist last season, having lost games in the final minute to teams ranked No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 in the state. But the team returned most of its players, who all worked on their games in the summer and fall, and the difference could be seen immediately.

“We came out a whole different team,” Tasker said.

John Burroughs also added a key ingredient to its coaching staff, former University of Virginia standout attacker Megan O’Malley, who relocated to the St. Louis area. O’Malley, a two-time U.S. Lacrosse All-American when she played high school lacrosse in New Jersey in 2003 and 2004, helped Tasker bring a whole new dimension to the team.

“She’s brought some of the Virginia magic to John Burroughs,” Tasker said.

The magic was, once again, in effect Wednesday.

Freshman middie Charlotte Martin and junior attack Emily Smith each had a goal to round out the offense for the Bombers.

Defensively, senior goalie Christie O’Hara saved seven shots.

Nerinx Hall (16-4) lost in the Missouri state championship game for the third straight season.

In what turned out to be a defensive struggle, Nerinx Hall scored the game’s first goal before John Burroughs got the equalizer to tie it, 1-1, at halftime.

The Bombers then scored five more unanswered goals to start the second half, a run that was completed when Barnell scored with 10:31 remaining in regulation.

Nerinx Hall scored the game’s final three goals and pulled within 6-4 with 2:01 to play. However, John Burroughs won the ensuing draw and ran out the clock, Tasker said.

“Their goaltender came out and stuffed us every which way to Sunday in the early going,” Tasker said. “We stayed poised, we stayed calm, we stayed disciplined and we methodically put the ball in the net. To me, that showed great maturity.”