Langley Lacrosse Snaps Madison's 26-Game Win Streak

Richard De Somma knows a thing or two about building a successful lacrosse program. Before taking the helm at Langley, De Somma started the lacrosse program at Westfield. And within three years, he led the Bulldogs to the Northern region semifinals.

In seven years at Langley, De Somma’s compiled an impressive resume that includes: three Liberty District championships, a Northern Region championship and a state semifinal appearance. What’s his secret?

“We look for consistency, not one year success,” said the Saxon head coach. “I try to set up our out-of-district games by looking for the toughest teams to play and not just look to pad wins.”

So far this season, the Saxons have defeated regional powerhouses Chantilly, Woodson, Westfield and Madison.

While De Somma’s teams have had no shortage of enthralling victories over the years, Friday’s 13-11 road win over defending VHSL AAA state champion Madison is perhaps his most impressive. Five-win Langley snapped the Warhawks’ 26-game win streak, handing Madison its first loss since 2010.

“We normally play a controlled game. But we changed it up and went with a hard attack. I think that really worked and made the difference,” De Somma said.

Langley jumped ahead to a 12-6 early lead but Madison whittled it down late in the contest. Junior goalie, Erin Long, came up with a handful key saves in the waning minutes and ended the evening with 13 saves. Offensively, junior center, Grace Goettman, netted a team-high four goals and seven draws. Five other Saxon players contributed in scoring.

For a grizzled veteran like De Somma, keeping the team grounded after a season-defining win is imperative. He gave his team one day to soak in the victory, and then made them banish it from their memory.

“The first thing we did on Saturday was spend about an hour talking about the game, getting their perspective and what they saw, and discussed any changes we needed to make,” he said. “My message to them is that we have to stay focused and play the same caliber game against our upcoming opponents.”

While De Somma refuses to look ahead, Langley’s April 23 game against Stone Bridge looms on the schedule. Stone Bridge (8-1, 2-0 Liberty District) currently sits atop the Liberty District standings and a win against the Bulldogs would likely put Langley in the driver’s seat heading into the Liberty District tournament next month.

Six games into the season, the Saxons have hit their stride. And as they prepare to enter the final stretch of regular season play, De Somma has the team poised to make a deep run in the postseason.

“If the team plays their best, and up to their potential, then I am happy,” he said. “I don’t like to talk about goals in terms of what we would like to do, I like to talk about the next goal and go from there. We don’t want to get caught looking too far ahead. That could work against you.”

Up next: At Marshall on Wednesday