Upper Dublin advanced to the District One semifinals and also earned a berth in states as a result of Saturday’s 11-7 win over Garnet Valley.
#3 UPPER DUBLIN 11, #6 GARNET VALLEY 7
Upper Dublin and Avon Grove were hardly strangers when the two teams took the field for Saturday’s district quarterfinal game at Harriton – in March, the two teams had squared off in a scrimmage that saw the Jaguars jump out to a 5-2 halftime lead.
“It was physical,” coach Dave Sowers said of that early season meeting. “We have a bunch of football players on our team, and we can get as physical as someone wants to get.
“I think that woke us up a little bit. We knew when they scrimmaged us they jumped up on us. We then woke up.”
The Flying Cardinals didn’t need a wake-up call in Saturday’s rematch, jumping out to a 4-0 lead when Michael Mullen scored his second of five goals with 5:59 remaining in the opening period.
“The boys were ready from the get go and just got after it,” Sowers said. “We were prepared for their ride.
“We put in a play, and I told the officials ahead of time – ‘They’re going to be offsides.’ Basically, we drew them offsides four times. Our boys were taking really good quality shots, and everything was clicking. Before we know it, it was 4-0.”
The Jaguars trimmed that lead to 4-2 at the end of one period, but the Cardinals responded with four more goals in the second, including a highlight reel goal by goalie Dillon Lojeski that put the Cards on top 5-2.
The play – called a ’32 clear’ by Sowers – was executed to perfection.
“I tell him ‘Start walking, and if you cross that midline, you have go like (heck) because they’re going to be chasing you from behind,’” Sowers said. “He got to the midline, he looked right at me, and I said, ‘Go.’
“He took off, and what he’s instructed at practice – ‘if one of the long poles slides off the attack, you just dump it to that guy.’ He started running full bore waiting for one of the long poles to slide, and they never did. His comment was he was going to try shoot near the pipe – here’s a sophomore thinking about all of this.
“He’s in goal during our shooting practice, so he knows that our shooting coach, Ryan White, tells our kids to shoot at the pipe because if you miss it goes out of bounds and you get it. He ends up scoring. This was in a crucial part of the game where he did what he was supposed to do. He read what they were riding.”
Michael Sowers followed with a goal to give the Cards a four-goal lead, and by halftime, they had an 8-3 lead. That advantage grew to 10-3 before the Jaguars mounted a late rally, but they never got closer than the 11-7 final.
While Mullen and Sowers both had a hand in five goals – Mullen found the net four times while Sowers had two goals and three assists, coach Sowers was quick to credit midfielders Connor Wall, Nick Vernacchio, Evan Scott and Jerry Bardol.
“Our midfielders generate our offense where before our attack generated our offense,” the Cardinals’ coach said. “The first three years it was get the ball to number two (Michael Sowers) and let him do his thing, and you guys just be in the right place.
“Since they were playing together since they were in fourth grade, they all knew if they put their stick up, the ball was going to be on their stick. We really wanted to change things, and number two wanted to change. He really wanted his teammates more involved.
“Our midfielders generate the offense, and nothing works unless they draw the slide. It’s like they’re the engine that gets the thing going, and what we say is – the ball will decide who scores.”
All but lost in the excitement of Lojeski’s goal was the standout effort of the sophomore goalie – who recorded 12 saves – and the Cardinals’ defense.
Rockwell Wright was assigned the task of containing Matt Moore. The All-American did not have a point in the first half when the outcome was all but decided.
“In the scrimmage, we put Jack (Rapine) on Matt Moore, and it was a real good battle,” coach Sowers said. “Our feeling was – Rocky can do this.
“He (Moore) ended up with two goals and two assists. One of the goals and one of the assists were on transition late in the third quarter. The one goal he had on Rocky was just a great shot. Why our defense is so successful is because Rock has gotten so good. We put Rocky on the other team’s best player, and by doing that, we can move Jack (Rapine) wherever we want. The other players holding down the fort are Henry Winebrake and Nicholas Sowers. Those three hold down the fort, and Jack Rapine can cause havoc.”
Contributing one goal each for the Cardinals were Winebrake, Scott, Vernacchio and Lojeski. Scott and Vernacchio each added a helper.
Rapine led the Cardinals with 10 ground balls and four caused turnovers. Ben Abel had five ground balls and three caused turnovers, and Michael Gillen had five ground balls.
Upper Dublin (18-2, 14-0 SOL) will face another familiar opponent in Tuesday’s district semifinals – Springfield-Delco. The Cougars defeated the Cardinals – who were without Rapine – 9-8 in the regular season finale for both teams.
“Who wouldn’t want the opportunity to play a team that beat you?” coach Sowers said. “It’s a great opportunity for us.
“They’re a great team. Just because we have Jack back and we’re playing on a neutral site doesn’t mean it’s a win. They’re in the final four of the district for a reason. They’re extremely well coached, and their kids play hard. It’s going to be a battle. We’re looking forward to it. It’s going to be a hard-fought game again, and we’re just excited to have the opportunity to play them again.”
Tuesday’s semifinals will be held at West Chester Henderson. Top-seeded Avon Grove will face fifth-seeded Strath Haven in the other semifinal.
Garnet Valley 2-1-2-2 7
Upper Dublin 4-4-3-0 11
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