ROCHESTER HILLS >> The journey to return back to the mountaintop of Division 2 girls lacrosse has at times taken Detroit Country Day far and wide.

It’s those challenges that have allowed the Yellowjackets to win so many games handily, like Tuesday’s 21-2 regional semifinal victory at Stoney Creek.

“I think we’re some of, if not the hardest workers in the state,” said Country Day senior Mary Pavlou, who scored a team-high seven goals in the victory. “So when we get out to the field, it’s like all of it is paying off. It’s so freeing and so fun because it’s like, this is what we’ve worked toward. It’s so exciting to even get the opportunity to play together every day because we’re such a family. The hard work together just breeds greatness on the field.”

After taking a 6-0 lead, the Yellowjackets were held off the board for over four minutes to end the first quarter and the Cougars managed a goal in its final 15 seconds through Charlotte Wilburn. But that turned out to be just a temporary reprieve as Georgia Pavlou hit for two of her three goals — she, Brooke Winowich and Charlotte Cook all added a hat trick each — in a scoring onslaught that saw Country Day leading by double-digits less than midway into the second, a lead that was extended to 15-1 by intermission.

Addison Fogler was the other Cougar to find the back of the net, the final goal of the game scored with just under six minutes remaining.

While the Yellowjackets are led by a group of talented seniors, sophomore Jackie Calso, freshman Bella Papsin each scored a pair of goals as well in the win. Kiran Nayak, a senior, rounded out the goalscoring.

“It’s so fun to watch because they love it so much and it’s always them trying to do something better,” Country Day second-year head coach Liz Nussbaum said. “We’re not just going for the iso 1-v-1s, we’re trying new things. We’re trying new schemes, and everyone, no matter who we put on the field, is all on the same game plan, which is really cool. No matter how many players down the bench were going on the field, the scheme, intensity and fun kept the same.”

This marks the fifth year in a row that Country Day has eliminated Stoney Creek (9-8) from the postseason.

Stoney’s task on Tuesday was to do something that no team from within the state of Michigan outside of Grand Rapids has been able to do since Country Day’s senior class were freshmen.

In 2022, Country Day lost in double overtime of the D2 title game to East Grand Rapids, then the Yellowjackets only lost to Forest Hills Northern on their march to winning the title two seasons ago, avenging their loss the year before to EGR.

Last season, Country Day again fell by the smallest of margins in the title game, losing 10-9 to Grand Rapids Catholic Central. The Yellowjackets are 14-1 this season, their only loss an 18-11 defeat to Carmel (IN) on March 29.

Nussbaum, who was also previously on staff as an assistant for several years before that, has made it a two-pronged mission to challenge the program with elite competition from outside the state while also aiming to grow the girls’ game within the state of Michigan.

“I think the out-of-state games are really good for them to see how we can progress and go even further,” Nussbaum said. “But we also keep in mind that we lost the state championship by a goal last year to a team we were unable to beat throughout the season.

“So even though that’s changed where we are coming into this, that same amount of pressure, knowing the expectation of a really strong game in a championship, it really fuels us.”

While Country Day has struggled to beat competition from the other side of the state despite its runs to the final state of the postseason in recent years, they have conquered every challenge a team from the mitten has presented this spring. That includes three wins combined over the two teams behind them in the Michigan Power Ratings, East Grand Rapids and Grand Rapids Catholic Central, and a pair of victories over one of the top teams in D1, Brighton.

It’s the matchups against other powerhouses that have allowed the Yellowjackets to sting competitors that are otherwise some of the better teams in the state. They beat Haslett (No. 6 in D2 MPR) 21-3 at the beginning of the month, and just before that defeated Marian, who they’ll face in Friday’s regional final, by 15 in the match before that.

“I think that when we play out-of-state teams, they have top-caliber players all over the field,” said Georgia Pavlou, who alongside her sister, Mary, is committed to play at Johns Hopkins, who are Big Ten affiliates since 2017. “It’s not just like, here or there, maybe one or two players are good, but all 12 players are solid. The most important thing is that anytime we’ve played them, we’ve learned from them, we’ve improved, and I think then, when we come back to Michigan, our level and playing style advances and evolves because of them.”

Georgia praised last year’s senior class and said that the Class of 2025 group has worked to create a new foundation while building on what was forged by the last, all the while keeping it fun.

It’s no surprise that the chemistry level is on the high end with two pairs of sisters (Olivia and Brooke Winowich, both committed to Central Michigan) in the mix.

“Me and my sister have always had great chemistry,” Mary Pavlou said.

“People always say like ‘twin telepathy,’ but I think it’s kind of true in the sense that we can give each other a look and we know. Honestly, with (the other upperclassmen) like Brooke, we’ve been playing together for the past four years and sometimes during middle school, so we just know our tendencies.

“It’s so easy because you know these girls, you see them in school, and even with the way you know them off the field. We’re really bonded and I think the connections overall are just bred from that off-field connection.”

Marian (12-6) defeated Rochester Adams 19-5 in the game that followed Country Day’s win to set up Friday’s final.