MARIETTA - After back-to-back state semifinal appearances, Lassiter's girls lacrosse team seems to have matured.

On an 11-game winning streak, the Lady Trojans have beaten the teams they were supposed to beat and won close games against the squads who were their equal.

Now they're about to find out how well they do against a program that may be a little more experienced.

Lassiter (18-3) advanced to the state finals for the first time in school history and will host a Milton squad that's won four state championships in the past five years.

Milton (17-1-3) tied Northview and Chattahoochee during the regular season, but beat the remainder of its in-state opponents by nine goals or more. Lassiter played Milton the closest, losing a 20-11 decision in March, but the Lady Trojans claim they've improved significantly since then.

"We lost to Milton at the beginning of the season, but we've grown as a team and consider this a whole new game," Lassiter midfielder Hannah Sullivan said. "We have a strong attack, and they have a strong attack as well, so we'll have to play a tight defense and try to block them out."

Milton's offense has been deafening, reaching double figures in every game this year. Knowing the Lady Trojans have at least seven players who can score at will, keeping the Lady Eagles in single digits would be pivotal.

But even if the Lady Trojans can contain Milton's offense, they will be be missing one of their own key finishers. Hayley Schneider, who was yellow-carded twice in Wednesday's semifinal victory over Chattahoochee and must sit out tonight's game.

That leaves Lassiter with Sullivan, Celia Bouton, Johnna Fusco, Spencer Hanson, Brooke Wilson and Brooke Green among those most capable of scoring multiple goals.

Many of the state's quality teams probably wish they had that many scorers they can fall back on.

"With Hayley, we have (at least) seven players who can score," Lassiter coach Faith Harmeyer said. "We're going to miss her, but we have players on the bench and starters who can step up. We'll be fine."

Scoring aside, Lassiter's game tonight may hinge on what the Lady Trojans can do defensively. Goalkeeper Allison Senft and the probable starting defenders - Briana Williams, Rachel Leff, Mallory Zimmerman and Molly Woods - held teams to single-digit scoring in 15 of 21 games this year.

Most recently, Lassiter held a high-scoring Chattahoochee team to five goals in the semifinal round. Senft finished with 12 saves against the Lady Cougars, 10 of which came on free-shot opportunities.

"I think it's going to be a back-and-forth battle, and it's going to come down to ball control," Harmeyer said. "After beating Northview and Chattahoochee (this season), we have a lot of confidence."