Cris Greer | The Grand Rapids Press, May 23, 2011 11:27 p.m.

EAST GRAND RAPIDS -- After playing powerhouse East Grand Rapids in the first round of the Division 2 state tournament Monday, Grand Haven girls lacrosse coach Kim Vincent said her Bucs achieved their goals.

“They were competitive,” said Vincent, whose team ended the season at 10-7. “We actually scored and that was our goal. They never gave up and that made them winners in my eyes.”

East Grand Rapids, ranked third in D2, led 16-1 at halftime en route to a dominant 24-4 victory against the Bucs.

“To compete against teams like East Grand Rapids where they start them very early, have really strong programs and have seven coaches on the sideline — we just struggle,” Vincent said. “Our girls have fun. They’re learning a lot, they’re athletic and we’re growing.

East Grand Rapids girls lacrosse team rolls past Grand Haven to open Division 2 postseason. “This is my first class that has played lacrosse for four years and it’s a big deal for them. Today was their last game. We had a really good season in our conference (second to Caledonia in Tier 2). We play really competitively with other teams that are just starting at our level.”

Sophomore scoring leader Claire Ludlow had six goals for the Pioneers, who are on a collision course with Grand Rapids Catholic Central.

If the Cougars get past DeWitt tonight, the teams will meet in the regional semifinals for a rubber game.

The teams have split this season, with East Grand Rapids winning the last contest 19-14 against the No.-4 ranked Cougars (13-3-3).

“We did have some rough patches, injuries and sicknesses, but now everyone’s healthy and we’re looking to go really far,” said Ludlow, who hopes to see top-ranked Okemos later in the tournament. “We lost in the first round to Okemos last year. They’re a really strong team.”

East Grand Rapids coach Rich Axtell said his team’s goal all along has been the June 11 state finals at Troy Athens.

“Okemos is a really efficient team — they’re patient, precise and just quietly beat you,” said Axtell, whose Pioneers improved to 15-5. “Before you know it, they have five goals on you and you don’t know how they did it.

“But we’re taking it one game at a time. Our game on June 1 is our next hurdle.”

Winning 10 of its past 11 games, including three top 10 teams, Axtell said his Pioneers are gelling at the right time.

“We had a spell in the middle of the season when a lot of our players were ill and we had a few injuries. We’re coming out of that now,” Axtell said. “I was very happy with what the girls did today. We met all our benchmarks that we wanted to accomplish.

“They played unselfishly, moved the ball well and hustled on defense and offense.”

Martha Bogo added four goals for the Pioneers, while Chandler Filion and Audrey Grabowski had three apiece.