Alex Holman scored a hat trick, including the game-winning goal with five minutes left in the fourth quarter, as the Maryland Charm defeated the California Palms 16-13 on Saturday, Aug. 15, to capture the inaugural Women's Lacrosse League championship at Subaru Park in Philadelphia.
Holman, 35, attended Bullis School in Potomac from 2005 to 2009, where she was a three-sport standout in field hockey, lacrosse and basketball. She earned Under Armour All-American honors and squad MVP in lacrosse as a senior.
The oldest player on the Charm roster, Holman returned to competitive play less than 10 months after giving birth to her son, Tiger. She rejoined Maryland's active roster for the team's May 29 season opener following seven months of maternity leave. She didn't register a point in four regular-season games, instead taking on an unofficial player-coach role, holding the iPad on the sidelines and helping break down teaching moments for teammates.
When the championship arrived, Holman delivered.
"Becoming a parent, it's just not about you anymore," Holman told the Premier Lacrosse League after the game. "It's about something else and someone else that matters so much more. I actually think that unlocks a superpower in sport because it makes you just believe and not care what happens because there's so much more to life."
Her tenacity showed early. In the first quarter, Holman jarred the ball free with a stick check on Palms defender Kayla Wood, then fed Brigid Duffy, who assisted on one of Sydni Black's goals, helping spark a 5-1 Maryland run that built a 7-3 lead. California clawed back to tie the score at 9-9 in the third quarter, but the Charm closed the door by scoring seven of the game's last 11 goals.
Charm attacker Sydni Black, a Loyola Maryland product, scored four goals and earned championship game MVP, according to the Baltimore Sun. The game was televised on ESPN.
Charm head coach Emily Parros praised Holman's selflessness throughout the season, saying that when she needed leaders on the field in the biggest moments, Holman was the player she had to have out there.
Holman played college lacrosse at the University of Maryland, where she was the 2013 National Attacker of the Year and a Tewaaraton Award finalist. She helped the Terps win the 2010 NCAA national championship and currently serves as an assistant coach for the program.
The WLL is a four-team league owned by the Premier Lacrosse League. Maryland dropped just one game during the regular season, a 12-10 loss to the New York Charging, before running through the postseason.
Holman's husband, Marcus Holman, a Gilman School and University of North Carolina graduate, was in the stands at Subaru Park alongside their son Tiger and her mother, Longma, watching her go down in history.
