Upper Dublin fell to Garnet Valley in Saturday’s District One AAA quarterfinal contest. The Flying Cardinals remain alive in their quest for a state berth.
By Mary Jane Souder
ROSEMONT - Ten seconds.
That’s how much longer Upper Dublin senior Michael Rama figured his team needed to score the equalizer in Saturday’s District One AAA quarterfinal contest against Garnet Valley.
As it was, the Flying Cardinals saw the clock expire before they managed a shot, allowing the Jaguars to survive a gutsy Cardinal comeback to hold on for an 8-7 win.
“I wish we had another 10 seconds,” Rama said. “What I really wish we had a timeout to set something up because we got the ball with nine seconds left, and we just had to force something that wasn’t here.”
The fourth-seeded Cardinals didn’t win, but twice they rallied from three-goal deficits against the Jaguars, battling back from a 4-1 hole to take a 5-4 lead and later rallying from 8-5 down to make it a one-goal game.
“That’s the way we have been all year,” coach JP Banks said. “In this one, unfortunately, we ran out of time.
“I thought we started to put things together. You’re down 8-5 to a team with a face-off kid that wins almost every face-off – the likelihood of you even having the opportunity to have the ball in your stick…
“If Michael has another half second – he had to rush that pass, and they did a great job picking it off, but just like this team (has) all year, they have a lot of heart. As a team and coaches, we all made mistakes, but this team has a huge heart, and they keep showing it.”
The Flying Cardinals led 1-0 after one quarter, thanks to a Rama goal (Ben Winebrake assist) with 2:54 remaining in the opening period. The Jaguars answered with a 4-0 run, a streak that was broken by a goal from Rama with six seconds remaining in the half to make it a 4-2 game at the intermission.
A goal by Winebrake two minutes into the third period was followed by back-to-back goals in a 41-second span from Rama, the second with a Michael Sowers assist, and just like that, the Flying Cardinals led 5-4.
Comebacks, according to Rama, are nothing new for this year’s squad.
“This happened to us many times this season – I think three times, and we’ve pulled it out every time,” said Rama, who led the Cards with five goals. “What we do – when we’re in the huddle right before we go out, everybody looks in each other’s eyes and says, ‘All right, we got this. We know we can do this.’ We played with heart.”
The Jaguars closed out the third period with back-to-back goals to go back on top 6-5, and they extended that lead to 8-5 after Kyle Roberts connected at the 8:23 mark. The Cardinals did not go down quietly. With 3:25 remaining, Rama turned a Sowers pass into a goal, and then, with 50 seconds showing on the scoreboard clock, Sowers found Winebrake for a goal that made it an 8-7 game.
Garnet Valley won the ensuing face-off, but a takeaway by the Cards as time was winding down set up the dramatic ending. Upper Dublin just ran out of time.
“It was real tough,” Rama said. “I kind of peeked out of the corner of my eye, and I saw that nine seconds. I knew I had to go. I went, and there was nothing there. We had to force something that wasn’t there.”
The loss snapped a 17-game Cardinal winning streak that began with Upper Dublin’s win over Wissahickon on March 25.
“It’s just something to learn from,” Rama said of the loss. “Now we know how it feels to be on the bottom. This is just a learning experience. The season isn’t over for us.”
The Flying Cardinals will host eighth-seeded Great Valley on Tuesday at 4 p.m. They are one of four teams vying for the fifth and final state berth.
“We look forward to the opportunity for the chance to try and get that fifth seed,” Banks said. “Hats off to Garnet Valley. They did a great job today, but I’m very proud of my boys.”
EXTRA SHOTS: Upper Dublin goalie Jack Deragon was credited with eight saves…while Rama had five goals to lead all scorers, Winebrake added two goals and one assist. Sowers also had a three-point day with three assists…the Jaguars received goals from seven different players. Only Robert Raucci had more than one goal, finishing with a pair.
Garnet Valley 0-4-2-2 8
Upper Dublin 1-1-3-3 7
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