Central Bucks East and Upper Dublin both lost in Saturday’s District One AAAA quarterfinal round. Both remain alive in the battle for the fifth and final state playoff berth.
#5 AVON GROVE 9, #4 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 6
The quarterfinals of the PIAA District One boys lacrosse playoffs saw fourth-seeded CB East match up with the #5 seed, Avon Grove. These two teams knew each other very well after playing each other three of the last four years in non-league play. The teams last met on April 10, and the Patriots won 11-9
It was a different story in Saturday’s rematch.
The Patriots won the statistical battle in shots, holding a 35-21 advantage. The outcome on the scoreboard was another story.
Avon Grove’s Will Schriener was a stone wall in the cage, making 17 saves (one on his back) to hold the high-powered CB East offense to just six goals on the day. Both teams traded goals in the first quarter, which ended with a 1-1 tie. Matt Heim (Matt Milici assist) scored East’s lone goal.
The second quarter was all Avon Grove.
The Red Devils took a 3-1 lead before Milici and Matt Vetter connected to knot the score. Avon Grove closed out the quarter with a 3-0 run, finding the net at the 3:20 mark and then again with 20 and seven seconds to take a 6-3 lead into halftime.
“We’re always telling our guys – lacrosse is a game of runs,” Heim said. “It’s about how you respond. We took a couple of steps back instead of taking a couple forward and confronting the challenge head on, which is what deflated us a little bit.
Avon Grove struck 32 seconds into the third quarter and went on to open up a 9-3 lead before CB East would make a two-goal run of their own with single goals from Matt Schmidt and Vetter to close out the quarter. A Schmidt goal was as much as the Patriots could muster in a fourth quarter they dominated.
"The main thing we've been stressing as we go into the postseason - collectively, we're all like a big machine," senior Matt Heim said. "If one cog is broken, there's a jam in there, and you're not going to have a fully functioning machine.
"That's exactly what we are. We can't have one or two men show up. The guys have to be talking to each other on both sides of the field, and everyone's got to know where they need to be and what they need to do. When it comes down to it, we have to be all together and one collective unit. One guy makes a mistake, you have to move on and keep on going through the game."
At the “x” Jack Auteri went 7 for 13 with 4 gb’s and Andrew DelBrocco went 2 for 6. Sean McGovern had 7 saves in the cage for the Patriots. Dustin Buchanan had 3 gb’s and 1 caused turnover, Tyler Butler had 2gb’s and 1 caused turnover and Mike Eveland had 1 gb’s and 3 caused turnovers.
With the district finals now out of reach, the Patriots need to win the next two games in the playbacks to qualify for the fifth and final spot in the State Tournament. They will begin that question on Tuesday when they travel to Penncrest.
“Going into Tuesday we’re going to be fighting, and that’s exactly what we have to do,” Heim said. “It’s an all-out war at this point. We have to just keep on doing what we do, and hopefully, it will pay off in the end. I think it will.”
Avon Grove 1-5-3-0 9
Central Bucks East 1-2-2-1 6
CB East Scoring:CB East had 6 goals on 35 shots.Matt Vetter – 2g, 1a, Matt Milici – 1g, 1a, Matt Heim – 1g, Matt Schmidt – 2g, Jack Auteri – 6 of 13 on Face offs, 4 gb’s.
Avon Grove scored 9 goals on 21 shots. Eric Russo - 4g, 1a, 4 gb’s, Tanner Peck – 2g, Steven Cyron – 1g, Danny Norris – 1g, 8gb’s, Bryce Reid – 1g, 3am Anthony Cardile – 12 for 18 face offs, 4 gb’s, Will Schriener – 17 saves.
#2 BISHOP SHANAHAN 13, #10 UPPER DUBLIN 5
A goal by Ryan Siwinski spotted the Flying Cardinals a 1-0 lead less than two minutes into Saturday’s quarterfinal game. That lead was short-lived as the second-seeded Eagles responded with six straight goals on their way to a 7-2 halftime lead.
“They’re an excellent team, and what we had to really do was come out here and play – not necessarily even error-free, but we had to play a smarter game than we did today,” coach JP Banks said. “It looked like at times the game became a little bigger than us.
“Our guys have to understand – we’re good enough to play (with the top teams) when we’re playing well and we’re playing smart. We just can’t make the type of mental mistakes we made against a quality opponent like that.”
Jack Rapine accounted for Upper Dublin’s second goal of the first half, and the Flying Cardinals added a goal less than a minute into the second half when Michael Sowers found Evan Scott for the score to make it a 7-3 game.
Again, the Eagles had an answer, this time reeling off four straight goals before Michael Mullen (Connor Wall assist) scored to break the run late in the third quarter. Shanahan got that back with a goal off the ensuing face-off. Another goal by Scott in the quarter’s closing seconds made it a 12-5 game. That would be the Cardinals’ final score of the game.
“It was just small mistakes we made,” Banks said. “Simple things – we save a possession, we come out of a timeout and set up to clear the ball, and we turn it over.
“A great team like Bishop Shanahan – you make mistakes in the middle of the field, and they turn it into points on the board.
“We just need to eliminate those kinds of mistakes and play the way we can.”
The Flying Cardinals won four of the first five face-offs of the second half, but it was the Eagles opening the third quarter with a 4-1 run.
“Paul Chung did a great job of winning the face-off, but that was their plan – to try and take it away,” Banks said. “Again, we need to execute a little bit better getting the ball out and getting it into our offense’s hands to give us possessions.
“We had some quality looks at the net. Their goalie did a great job, but we need to be able to finish those opportunities if we want to hang around later into May.”
The Cards are one of four teams fighting for the final state berth. They will travel to Garnet Valley for a playback game Tuesday.
“The nice thing about losing on this Saturday is that we get another opportunity to redeem ourselves,” Banks said. “Hopefully, we’ll play better and take advantage of our chance.”
Upper Dublin 1-1-3-0 5
Bishop Shanahan 4-2-6-2 14
- Log in to post comments
