Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ lacrosse teams in action in Tuesday’s opening round of the District 1 3A Tournament. PW/CR South photos provided courtesy of Michael Rice, and CR North/Phoenixville photos courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for galleries of both games: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f683838916
District One Class 3A opening round
No. 9 Plymouth Whitemarsh 18, No. 24 Council Rock South 5
It’s a well-known cliché that records are thrown out and seeds mean nothing when the playoffs come around. Any team can beat any other team on any given day.
So, Plymouth Whitemarsh made sure there would be no doubt on this day. The ninth-seeded Colonials exploded out of the gate and led 12-3 at halftime en route to dispatching No. 24 Council Rock South by a decisive 18-5 count in Tuesday’s opening-round matchup.
“We played an excellent team game with everyone doing their part,” said PW coach Ellen Reilly. “My midfielders – Bri Reynolds, Kaiane Jayo, and Maite Jayo – led with their aggressiveness on the circle and controlled the draw.
“Offensively, we moved the ball around with everyone touching it and doing their part against their backer zone and very aggressive goalie. We played smart, we drove when pressured and kept our heads up and saw the cutters. We made great passes and had great scoring opportunities.”
Maite Jayo led the Colonials with five goals and one assist. Bri Reynolds scored four and assisted on one, Meghan Wendler poured in four goals, Kaiane Jayo had two goals and one assist, Olivia Eaton netted a pair, Mia Baron added one goal, and Soph Gartland had one assist.
For the Golden Hawks, Mia Schink scored three goals and Ella Mayberry added two.
“Defensively, Katie Lukens, Kaylin Smyth, Keira Whelan, and Liv Budin all played great on low defense and on transition,” Reilly said.
“The girls have been working really hard and they are seeing their hard work pay off. They are improving and getting better with every game. I am really proud of their effort today.”
Council Rock South sees its season end with an 11-8 overall record. The Colonials improve to 15-4 overall and advance to play SOL National Conference co-champion Pennridge in the second round. The game will be held at 5:30 pm Thursday at Pennridge.
Council Rock South 3-2 5
Plymouth Whitemarsh 12-6 18
No. 15 Council Rock North 11, No. 18 Phoenixville 9
(Submitted by Council Rock North lacrosse)
In a playoff showdown at Walt Snyder Stadium, Council Rock North and Phoenixville High clashed in an electrifying battle that kept fans on the edge of their seats until the final buzzer. The game – which ended with a nail-biting score of 11-9 in favor of the host Indians – showcased the grit, determination, and skill of both teams as they fought tooth and nail for every goal and every inch of turf.
“It’s been at least 10 years since Council Rock North won a district game,” said North assistant coach Paul Deppi. “It means a lot to the program and the girls to bring a win. They worked very hard with Coach (Denise) Noseworthy to get to this point. They put in a lot of time working together. They put a lot of time in as youth players, but I’ve seen them grow into high school players. Just for them to put it all together and earn a win – the first home game victory in as long as anyone can remember. I’m really proud of the girls. It was just an all-around team effort.”
The decisive moment of the game came in the closing minutes when Council Rock North’s Addison Deppi knocked the ball to the ground. Quick to capitalize on the opportunity, Liza McBride scooped up the loose ball and initiated a lightning-fast counterattack. With precision and poise, McBride delivered a perfectly timed pass to Cat McBride, who maneuvered past defenders with finesse before unleashing a shot that found the back of the net, sealing the victory in dramatic fashion.
“Cat was our offensive superstar, moving the ball, and she had some great goals to propel us to the win,” Deppi said.
Leading the charge for Council Rock North were senior captains Julie Ondria and Maddy Mela. Ondria, a force to be reckoned with on the field, showcased her scoring prowess with an impressive three goals and two assists. Mela contributed three crucial goals and added an assist to her impressive playoff performance, proving her mettle as a leader and a playmaker when it mattered most.
Freshman sensation Ellie Carney continued to make waves with her stellar play, notching three goals and making her presence felt with three ground
balls and three draw controls. Sophomore standout Cat McBride displayed her versatility and dominance, tallying two goals, two assists, four ground balls, and four draw controls, making significant contributions on both ends of the field.
“The defense stepped up,” Deppi said. “Phoenixville had some great shooters, some good cuts, and our goalie Lucy Carney (14 saves) came up big in the clutch, and we were very thankful.
“Phoenixville had a great young lady that could crease roll. We worked on that, and Keiley Lyons stepped up to deny her that open space to the goal. Elle Carney did a great job of getting up on the hands of the shooter to prevent her from getting a quality shot off, so that was key. Our midfielder transition game did really well, getting the ball into our zone and settling. Especially our ride – our ride was fantastic. We were 3-for-5 on the rides, which I was very impressed with.”
The Indians improve to 12-4 overall and earned a date at 4:30 pm Thursday at second-seeded Radnor in the second round of the District One tourney.
“I filled in for Denise tonight, which was not an easy task,” Deppi said. “The girls made me proud, so I was very happy. It was an honor to fill those shoes. It was a good statement win for the program and the young ladies on the team.
“I’m an alum of Council Rock, the Class of ’90, and I told the girls, ‘Other than my graduation, this was one of the highlights and just a great time on the field.’ I was really honored to be out there. I’ve been coaching for 31 years, and this was definitely the pinnacle of my career. Hopefully, we’ll add more.”
No. 10 Garnet Valley 15, No. 23 Abington 5
Tuesday was not the end for the Abington girls lacrosse team. It was only the finale of one successful chapter. And the Ghosts are excited to see what the next chapter will hold.
The 23rd seeded Ghosts dropped a 15-5 decision to 10th-ranked Garnet Valley in Tuesday’s opening-round matchup. And while the Ghosts didn’t want to see their season end with a loss and a 10-8 record, coach Meg McClain had nothing but high praise for her squad’s efforts this season and anticipation for what’s to come.
“Unfortunately, the result wasn’t what we wished for, but they played till the very end,” McClain said. “No matter the opponent, we played our game all season and we could not ask for anything more. We had a few milestones on our team throughout the season that I am so proud of. After seeing our young team perform with some of the best, I cannot wait for next season.”
Madden Murray led the Ghosts with two goals, Harper McGinley and Piper McGinley each scored one goal, and freshman Addison Doyle added one goal.
No. 22 Spring-Ford 12, No. 11 Pennsbury 11
This one went right down to the end.
Neither team was able to take a comfortable lead in Tuesday’s hard-fought first-round matchup. Each of the first three quarters ended up deadlocked.
It was 22nd seed Spring-Ford that managed to net the extra goal in the fourth quarter as the Rams pulled a 12-11 upset over 11th seeded Pennsbury.
“The first half was very back-and-forth,” said Falcons’ coach Marguerite Piccolo. “The third quarter, Spring-Ford came out strong and took the lead, 8-6. With 1:47 left in the third quarter, Rylie Borgman made a beautiful pass to Sasha Dobos. Then we won the draw, and Rylie Borgman scored an awesome goal to tie the game with 1:25 left.”
The Rams broke an 11-11 tie in the final two minutes with Pennsbury a player down and held on to advance to the second round and end the season of the SOL National Conference co-champions at 12-6-1 overall.
“Playing a man down with 3 minutes left in a tie game is not an ideal situation,” Piccolo said. “They took the lead with 1:51 remaining. Our defense fought hard as they tried to stall and did come up with a caused turnover. But, ultimately Spring-Ford played more disciplined, came up with more draw controls, and showed up ready to play.
“But I’m very proud of our seniors – especially our attackers (Lily Abraham and Borgman) for stepping up and connecting.”
Abraham (2 goals, 2 assists) and Mia Popovich (3 goals, 1 assist) each contributed four-point games for the Falcons. Borgman and Grace Holmes each finished with two goals and one assist, Dobos scored twice, and Abby Iacona and Angelina Kenney each chipped in with one assist.
Pennsbury 3-3-3-2 11
Spring-Ford 3-3-3-3 12
No. 19 Boyertown 14, No. 15 Wissahickon 11
The Trojans won the first quarter and the last, but their furious rally wasn’t enough to overcome the two middle quarters owned by the Bears.
Wissahickon’s defense came out aggressive, forcing six turnovers in the first quarter leading to a 3-0 lead early and a 4-2 advantage after 12 minutes. Seniors Nora Ryan and Chloe Acuna paced a defensive effort that also featured Elle Stein and Kaylee Hammond.
A goal by Emma Greenberg has Wiss ahead 6-3 midway through the second but the hosts weren’t able to slow Boyertown. The visitors ended the first half on a 5-0 scoring run and took the quarter 6-1.
Boyertown extended its lead by winning the third quarter 4-2. A goal by the Bears made it a 14-8 game with 7:27 to play but the Trojans made a late push with the next three goals before ultimately running out of time.
Sam Farno and Greenberg each had a hat trick while, Sophia Stehlik and Lila Marciniak each scored twice for Wissahickon. Ryan had a goal and an assist for the Trojans.
Boyertown will travel to No. 3 Upper Dublin in Thursday’s second round. The Cardinals defeated Boyertown 12-8 on March 21. Wissahickon closed out its season with a 13-5-1 record (8-3 SOL).
Boyertown 2-6-4-2 14
Wissahickon 4-1-2-4 11
No. 20 West Chester Henderson 13, No. 13 Central Bucks West 5
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