Souderton advanced to Saturday’s quarterfinal round of the District One girls’ lacrosse tournament. To view photos of the Souderton/D-town West game, please visit the Photo Gallery.
#10 SOUDERTON 9, #28 DOWNINGTOWN WEST 5
So far, it’s been quite a week for the Indians.
On Tuesday, they earned their first postseason win in six years. Shortly after the game, they found out they would have another home game when Downingtown West pulled off the upset of fifth-seeded Owen J Roberts, the same Owen J Roberts squad that defeated the Indians 17-7 in the season opener for both squads.
The Indians seized the moment on Thursday when they hosted the Whippets, turning a 5-4 second half deficit into a win that propelled the squad into the quarterfinals for the first time in recent memory.
“It’s super special to us,” senior Amber Lambeth said. “We didn’t expect to get this far, but we have been playing really well. We’re just happy that we got this far.
“I didn’t think it was within our reach, but we have such good talent on our team, so why not use it. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain.”
Few played better than Lambeth in Thursday’s win. The senior standout scored five goals to lead the Indians to a win that effectively erased memories of last year’s first round upset at the hands of Haverford.
“I think it was better this year because we played much harder teams,” Lambeth said. “We were able to see what we were doing wrong and fix it.
“I think that worked to our advantage.”
Momentum turned squarely in the Indians’ favor after a second half timeout by coach Kelly Kelly with the Whippets on top 5-4.
“We kind of regrouped and came back together,” the Indians’ coach said. “It was an aggressive, rough game on both sides of the field.
“When we got down – during the timeout, we just talked about how we needed to focus on not relying on our stick for defense but relying on our footwork. We were getting a lot of calls against us because they were drawing a lot of fouls. They were really good at challenging and getting the calls.
“Once we had that talk with our defense, it had a complete turnaround on the game with our defense coming up with some really big plays.”
No one came up bigger on the defensive end than senior goalie Kelly Williams, who had 10 saves.
“Kelly Williams had a phenomenal game,” Kelly said. “Our defense was doing a nice job of pushing their players out of the eight and forcing them to make off-angle shots that Kelly was coming up with the saves.”
“Kelly was amazing,” Lambeth said. “I can’t remember the goals that went in because she saved so many.”
While the defense was doing its job, the offense found its stride as well, reeling off five unanswered goals to close out the game.
“We realized that our attack wasn’t working as efficiently as it could have been, so our coach told us to work with each other and play off of their defense, and we did that effectively,” Lambeth said. “That really helped us.”
In addition to Lambeth’s five goals, Carlie Doughty, Natalie Bulgier, Brittany Roynan and Juliana Ofalt all added single goals
The Indians, who will face fourth-seeded Great Valley at West Chester East Saturday, are eager to take the next step.
“It’s great,” Kelly said. “We wanted to get to the playoffs and show everybody we could win.
“Now we want to show everybody that we’re a solid team. We always say the other side of the river is so strong, but there are really strong teams within the Suburban One League as well. We want everybody to see we have strong programs as well.”
Downingtown West 3-2—5
Souderton 4-5—9
#1 CONESTOGA 15, #17 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 6
Conestoga is ranked 16th in the country by a national publication, but the young Titans – although they trailed from the outset – didn’t back down.
“My girls played great today and fought to the end,” said coach Janique Craig, who said she was minus three starters due to injuries. “I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
The Pioneers opened up a 7-1 halftime lead and never looked back on their way to the win.
Junior Courtney Dietzel led the Titans with two goals and an assist while Kelly Senour added a pair. Kasey Dietzel and Sarah Poli each had one goal.
Central Bucks South closed out its season with a 14-6 record (7-2 SOL).
Central Bucks South 1-5—6
Conestoga 7-8—15
#3 HARRITON 16, #19 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 4
The Bucks saw their successful season come to an end when they fell to Harriton in a second round game.
“It was a rough game today, and we didn’t really come out with enough intensity,” coach Tara Schmucker said. “Harriton’s speed and pressure got the best of us.
“However, the girls should be proud of their success this season. We had a great team chemistry this year, and I hope the leadership and growth can continue in the program.”
Sophomore Bryn Boylan had a goal and an assist while Paige Savard had a goal and assist. Elle Ueland and Meghan Darcy both added single goals for the Bucks, who closed out their season with a 14-6 record (8-1 SOL).
#4 GREAT VALLEY 19, #20 HATBORO-HORSHAM 6
The Hatters knew what they were in for when they travelled to Great Valley for a matchup with a strong and talented Patriot squad. The two teams met earlier this season with the Patriots earning a 20-11 win.
In Thursday’s rematch, the Patriots and Hatters exchanged goals in the opening nine minutes of the game with Carly Daley turning a Syd Rausa pass into a goal to knot the score, and it was a 2-2 game after Gabby Acker (Daley assist) scored at the 15:44 mark. The rest of the half belonged to the Patriots, who went on a 10-1 tear to go into halftime with a 12-3 lead. Rausa’s strong shot on a free position was the Hatters’ lone goal in that span.
“They definitely have height on us – we’re not the tallest team in the world,” senior captain Jenna Cutilli said. “They were a little bit faster than us, and they just seemed smoother when they ran their plays.
“It takes us a little longer to set things up. We do execute, but they flowed a little bit more.”
The Patriots made it difficult for the Hatters to get the ball out of their own defensive end.
“You can’t get halfway up the field and then send the ball back,” coach Duncan Swezey said. “Once you send the ball back, now you have to go through them again.
“I call the middle the den of thieves. I said, ‘You’re halfway through the den of thieves, and now you have to go back through it. That’s not good.’ If you can go through the 20’s and the middle of the field, you’re fine.
“The way they play defense – you have to attack early. You can’t let them set up because once they set up they’re just too efficient on their slides.”
The Hatters received second half goals by Daley, Casey Swezey and Gwyn Acker. They closed out their season with an 11-9 record (7-2 SOL).
Hatboro-Horsham 3-3—6
Great Valley 12-7—19
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