Freedom’s girls lacrosse season may have come to an end without a gold medal, but that doesn’t mean they fell short this spring.

The Patriots fell to Easton 19-4 last week in the District 11 3A finals and took home the program’s first district medal in program history.

And for head coach Charis Innarella, that is a monumental feat.

“I am super proud of our team,” Innarella said. “They were so resilient in the face of a pandemic overcoming many adversities. It was a great experience earning the opportunity to play Easton in the District Championship Game. I have a lot of respect for Coach Mihalko and the strong program she has built. They have a very talented group of athletes and I was proud of my team for never giving up.”

The Patriots (14-4) were overwhelmed by Easton in the final, jumping out to a 6-0 lead in the first six minutes and then pushing that to a 9-2 advantage heading into halftime, as they never looked back.

However, the 9-8 overtime victory overt Emmaus in the district semifinals earned them a chance at a medal and it was a game that will always be remembered by the program.

“We went down 6-0 and came back to win,” said Innarella. “That game was a defining moment for our team and like the quote says sports do not build character, they reveal it.

“That night there was a fierce devotion to succeed competitively. Our kids had each other’s backs and never gave up. I was so excited and proud of our kids to be championship bound.”

With this year’s team laying the foundation for what is capable with the program, they have players like senior EPC first team all-star Abby Burnette to thank for 68 goals and 43 assists this season. With Burnette and fellow senior scorer Caitlin Donello (59 goals) and second team all-star Abi Sipel moving on to graduation, the Pates will rely on the likes of returning sophomore Paige Telatovich, who was a first team league selection with a team leading 83 goals. Junior Kailey Turpening (23 goals) will also become a likely key contributor next season.

“Expect nothing, earn everything was our motto,” said Innarella. “I can’t express enough how proud I am of our entire team and staff. We built on the successes of the past few years and made program history by making it to the district championship game. Our players were hard working, gritty and resilient with a never give up attitude and they achieved greatness. The bar has been set higher by the 2021 team and the challenge begins.”