Babcock Nets 4 Goals, But Louisville Edged by Mentor 6-5 – Girls Lacrosse
Mentor 6, Louisville 5
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The Louisville Leopards Girls Varsity Lacrosse Team battled the visiting Mentor Cardinals to the very end Saturday afternoon, but came up just short in a 6-5 loss at Louisville Leopards Stadium.
Louisville led 2-1 after the opening quarter and 3-2 at halftime before Mentor used a four-goal third quarter surge to pull in front. The Leopards answered late and had the Cardinals on the ropes down the stretch, but Mentor held on to hand Louisville a narrow one-goal defeat.
Babcock Scores 4 Goals in Leopards’ Near Comeback
Izzy Babcock turned in a huge offensive performance for Louisville, scoring 4 of the Leopards’ 5 goals in Saturday’s thriller. Babcock got Louisville on the board with a free-position goal in the opening quarter to tie the match at 1-1. She then gave the Leopards their first lead moments later when she finished off a pass from Claire Genet to make it 2-1.
Babcock struck again in the second quarter off an assist from Kloey Rukavina to stretch the Louisville advantage to 3-1. After Mentor rallied in the second half, Babcock brought the Leopards back within a goal in the fourth quarter when she took a pass at midfield, split a pair of defenders, and finished to trim the deficit to 6-5 with 11:37 remaining.
Genet Scores and Rukavina Delivers 2 Assists
Louisville also got a goal from Genet late in the third quarter. Rukavina set up that score as well, finishing with 2 assists on the afternoon. Genet added an assist on one of Babcock’s first-quarter goals to give the Leopards multiple contributors in a balanced offensive effort.
Fink and Lee Reord Hat Tricks for Cardinals
The Cardinals were led by a pair of hat-trick scorers in Ava Lee and Sydney Fink, who accounted for all 6 Mentor goals. Lee scored twice in the opening half and added another unassisted, game-tying goal early in the third quarter to complete her hat trick.
Fink then helped turn the tide in the decisive third period. She scored off an assist from Lila Weagraff to give Mentor its first lead of since opening quarter at 4-3, then won the ensuing faceoff and took it the distance herself for another goal just 15 seconds later. Fink completed her hat trick with a free-position goal late in the quarter to extend the Cardinals’ lead to 6-3.
Louisville Shows Major Progress Against Mentor
Although the Leopards came up short on the scoreboard, Saturday’s result showed major progress for Louisville against one of its returning opponents. Louisville fell on the road to Mentor 11-0 last season in their only other meeting. This time, Louisville not only found the net, but held a halftime lead and pushed the Cardinals to the brink in a one-goal game.
That improvement was evident from the opening draw. The Leopards were stronger offensively, more composed in possession, and much more competitive throughout all four quarters than they were in last year’s meeting. Even in defeat, Louisville showed how far it has already come early in the 2026 season.
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UP NEXT: The Louisville Girls Lacrosse Team will next host the Padua Franciscan Bruins on Saturday, April 4. Game time is set for Noon from Louisville Leopards Stadium.
Cover Photo By Rick Everhart Photography
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Mentor at Louisville Girls Lacrosse Scoring Summary
CARDINALS 6, LEOPARDS 5
Team 1-2-3-4–TOTAL
Mentor 1-1-4-0–06
Louisville 2-1-1-1–05
1st Quarter
MENTOR – Ava Lee (Unassisted) | LHS 0, MHS 1
LOUISVILLE – Izzy Babock (Free Position) | LHS 1, MHS 1
LOUISVILLE – Izzy Babock (Claire Genet) | LHS 2, MHS 1
2nd Quarter
LOUISVILLE – Izzy Babock (Kloey Rukavina) | LHS 3, MHS 1
MENTOR – Ava Lee (Sydney Fink) | LHS 3, MHS 2
3rd Quarter
MENTOR – Ava Lee (Unassisted) | LHS 3, MHS 3, 6:22
MENTOR – Sydney Fink (Lila Weagraff) | LHS 3, MHS 4, 4:53
MENTOR – Sydney Fink (Won Faceoff and Took it all the way) | LHS 3, MHS 5, 4:38
MENTOR – Sydney Fink (Free Position) | LHS 3, MHS 6, 1:23
LOUISVILLE – Claire Genet (Kloey Rukavina) | LHS 4, MHS 6, 1:08
4th Quarter
LOUISVILLE – Izzy Babcock (Received pass at midfield, weaved between two defenders, and scored) | LHS 5, MHS 6, 11:37
Records: Mentor 2-1, Louisville 1-1
