The city of Goldsboro, NC and Carolina Event Management welcomed thousands of visitors from across the region and beyond to Session I of the North Carolina LaxFest on October 29-30, 2022. Session I featured more than 40 girls lacrosse teams vying for championships across six divisions and six flights within those divisions. The beautiful Bryan Multi-Sports Complex in Goldsboro, NC was the setting for an incredible weekend of girl’s lacrosse. The weather was the perfect blend of crisp North Carolina fall mornings followed by sun-filled warmer afternoons. Additionally, there were college coaches from throughout the Carolina’s and Virginia, hoping to get a glimpse of potential future student-athletes
Elementary Division
The Elementary division played in a small-field, 8 v 8 format. Team 91 Carolina 2030 (Raleigh, NC) avenged their Saturday pool play loss to the Carolina Miners Elementary (Mooresville, NC) team in a thrilling finals rematch on Sunday. Team 91 Carolina 2030 pulled away late to win a highly competitive final that showcased the bright future for girl’s lacrosse. Other teams in the division included Palmetto 30/31 (Mount Pleasant, SC), Carolina Force Elementary (Pinehurst, NC), Team Coastal 2030-32 (Charleston, SC) and Team 91 Carolina Futures (Raleigh, NC).
Middle School Blue Division
The Middle School Blue division featured the youngest middle school age teams playing in a full-field format. The youngest team in the division, AFA 2029 (Willow Spring, NC), went through the weekend unscathed and won a highly competitive championship game 7-6 against Palmetto 28/29 (Mount Pleasant, SC). Other teams in the division included Lotus 28/29 (Midlothian, VA) and Team 91 Carolina 28/29 (Raleigh, NC).
Middle School White Division
The Middle School White division had 10 teams competing in pool play on Saturday to determine their Sunday championship flight. Saturday’s pool play action saw Coastal Rays 2027 (Wilmington, NC) and Bogue Elite Blue (Newport, NC) finish undefeated. AFA 2028 (Willow Spring, NC), Lotus 2027 (Midlothian, VA), Carolina Force Middle School (Pinehurst, NC) and Carolina Miners Middle School (Mooresville, NC) would all advance to the Flight 1 championship bracket, which was won by Bogue Elite Blue in a thrilling 11-10 championship game against Carolina Force Middle School. Flight 2 action on Sunday saw Team 91 Carolina 2027 (Raleigh, NC), Coastal Rays Middle School
(Wilmington, NC), Hurricanes Green (New Oxford, PA) and Palms Lacrosse Club (Tampa, FL) compete for a championship which was claimed by Palms Lacrosse Club in convincing fashion.
High School Orange Division
The High School Orange division also saw 10 teams competing in pool play on Saturday to determine their Sunday championship flight. Hurricanes 25/26 (New Oxford, PA) and Rapids 25/26 (Irmo, SC) each went 3-0 on Saturday and were joined in the flight 1 championship bracket by Team 91 Georgia (Brookhaven, GA), Team 91 Carolina HS White (Raleigh, NC), Red Devil HS White (Cary, NC) and Coastal Rays 2026 (Wilmington, NC). The Hurricanes 25/26 team pulled out a hard-fought victory over Rapids 25/26 in the championship contest.
In Flight 2, Carolina Miners 25/26 (Mooresville, NC), Coastal Rays 2025 (Wilmington, NC), Savannah Gulls (Savannah, GA) and Palmetto 25/26 (Mount Pleasant, SC) entered bracket play, with Palmetto 25/26 earning a 7-5 victory over Carolina Miners 25/26 in the final.
High School Grey Division
Eight teams competed in pool play on Saturday in this division, with the top four – Team 91 Carolina 2026 (Raleigh, NC), Carolina Force White (Pinehurst, NC), Hurricanes 23/24 (New Oxford, PA), Red Devil HS Black (Cary, NC) – advancing to the flight 1 championship bracket, which was won by Team 91 Carolina 2026 over Hurricanes 23/24.
Flight 2 featured Wild Tide (Calabash, NC), Coastal Rays 2023 (Wilmington, NC), Carolina Miners 24/25 and Palmetto 24/25 competing for the flight 2 championship which was won by Wild Tide in a nail-biting 7-6 win over Carolina Miners 24/25.
High School Black Division
Six teams competed for the High School Black Division title, including Bogue Elite Red (Newport, NC), Carolina Force Green (Pinehurst, NC), Carolina Miners 23/24 (Mooresville, NC), Rapids 23/24 (Irmo, SC), Team 91 Carolina 2023 (Raleigh, NC) and Coastal Rays Teal (Wilmington, NC). The championship game was the best game of the weekend and saw Rapids 23/24 edge Bogue Elite Red in overtime by a 7-6 score. This game featured many high-level college recruits and was a fitting end to an outstanding event.
Up Next – Session II
Carolina Event Management looks forward to hosting Session II of the North Carolina LaxFest on November 12-13, 2022. Session II will feature approximately 60 boy’s teams from across the region and country. Youth games will again be played at the Bryan Multi-Sports Complex in Goldsboro, NC while high school boy’s games will be played at Ting Park in Holly Springs, NC. Carolina Event Management would like to extend a special thank you to the City of Goldsboro Parks & Recreation Department and www.visitgoldsboronc.org for their support and assistance. For more information about Carolina Event Management, please visit www.cemevents.com.