Check out the Black Bear Lacrosse recaps of a pair of SOL girls’ lacrosse teams that came up short but hung tough against two of the district’s elite squads.
District 1 3A semifinal
#3 BISHOP SHANAHAN 9, #2 UPPER DUBLIN 6
The Flying Cardinals trailed by three at halftime, but this time, there would be no second-half comeback. When the final horn sounded, they still trailed by three as both teams scored just one goal in a second half that belonged to the respective defenses.
“As always, the girls did not give up and played until the end,” UD coach Dee Cross said. “It is frustrating that we were so close but could not figure it out today. We still have more lacrosse in our future, and we will go back to the drawing board tomorrow to get ready for our playback game with Conestoga next Wednesday.”
Bridget DiMartile’s four-point game led the Cardinals.
By the numbers: Upper Dublin: Bridget DiMartile (3 goals, 1 assist, 3 DC), Maeve Hogan (2 goals, 2 DC, 1 CTO), Anna DiMartile (1 goal, 1 assist, 1 DC, 2 CTO), Ava Shohen (2 assist, 1 CTO), Olivia Broome (2 CTO), Caroline Stoffel (2 saves)
Upper Dublin coach Dee Cross: “It was a tough loss today to Bishop Shanahan. We had a tough day shooting and could not control the draw. Shanahan won that battle 13-6. I truly felt like we were in the game the whole way, but we were not able to get any momentum on the offensive end.
“Their goalie had some key saves that took away any chance of getting closer than three in the fourth quarter. We held them to one goal for the entire second half which is a testament to our defense. We were only able to score one goal the entire second half also so we could not get closer than 9-6.”
Up next: Upper Dublin (19-2, 11-0 SOL)- which has already earned a berth in the PIAA 3A state tournament – will host #12 Conestoga in the District 1 3A third place game on Wednesday.
Bishop Shanahan 5-3-0-1 9
Upper Dublin 3-2-0-1 6
District 1 2A semifinal
#4 VILLA MARIA ACADEMY 7, #2 UPPER MORELAND 6 (2 OT)
The Golden Bears lost a heartbreaker in double overtime in Thursday’s District 1 2A semifinal, and although they came up just short, a UM squad that was 2-3 out of the gate looked very much like a team that saved its best for the postseason.
“For many weeks now, we have said we just need to peak at the right time – when playoffs come,” UM coach Kim Frantz said. “As we struggled to click as a team early on, we are doing just 
that – we are peaking at the right time. These girls are not ready to end their season yet. Two games in a row they battled and left everything on the field. They know what is on the line on Wednesday and I know they will be ready.”
The Golden Bears took a 5-4 lead into the final quarter, but Villa tied it early in the fourth. A goal by Annalise Messina with 10:48 remaining gave the Bears a 6-5 advantage, but once again, Villa had the answer, scoring the equalizer with 7:57 remaining. Neither team scored the remainder of regulation, setting the stage for overtime.
“In the initial overtime, we actually won the first draw and had the first shot,” Frantz said. “Annalise had a great shot, and their goalie had a phenomenal save. It was lights out.
“They won the draw in the second overtime, and then they ended up scoring. It was like 40 seconds, so it was pretty quick, but their team’s phenomenal. They have a ton of D1s, and it was just such a good game.”
For the Golden Bears, Messina contributed a hat trick, and Keira Hess also had a three-point game with one goal and two assists. Keiley Hawk had a team-high five draw controls, and goalie Addi Hurley was brilliant in goal with 14 saves and reached yet another milestone, surpassing the 600 career save mark.
By the numbers: Upper Moreland: Annalise Messina (3 goals, 3 DC), Keiley Hawk (2 goals, 5 DC), Keira Hess (1 goal, 2 assists), Madeline Cox (2 DC), Isabel Duncan (1 assist), Addi Hurley (14 saves)
Upper Moreland coach Kim Frantz: “What a game! Upper Moreland came to battle, and the rain wasn’t about to slow us down. To be able to hang with a team like Villa Maria, I could not be happier with how we played as a unit, together, as one, despite the overtime loss.
“One of the biggest things I am proud of is our sideline and our fan base and their positivity. Our sideline is the absolute best, they keep the momentum up – we appreciate all of them and their enthusiasm.
“While a double overtime loss is an absolute heartbreaker – we will be better because of it. We have our eyes on States, we can still make it, and we will make the absolute best effort we can to do it, this team is not ready to be done yet.”
–Hurley hits another milestone: “This was yet another game where Addi Hurley had absolutely amazing saves. Tallying her 600th save early in the game, she kept us in this game all the way to the end.”
–UM defense stands tall: “’Defense wins championships’ is an often-used quote, and our defense is truly what is keeping us in these tough games. Avery Adamski is the heart and soul of our defense, Leah King is a textbook defender that literally does everything we need her to do and more, Gianna Brown – in a new position – has just gotten stronger and stronger every single game, and Maggie Brophy, attacker changed defender, is just phenomenal in the middle. Together these four with our midfielders Keiley Hawk, Annalise Messina, and Madeline Cox are just a single unit working together to make other teams work for every single goal. To hold a team like Villa to seven goals is really a testament of how well they play together.”
–On the draw: “Keiley Hawk was an absolute beast on the draw – coming up with five draws was amazing. Coming into this game we were nervous about the draws, but Annalise, Madeline, and Keiley did an awesome job controlling a lot of the draws, while Eva Gorrell helped in the midfield also.”
–On the attack: “Our attack played the best they have all season. On attack Ella Gould, Keira Hess, Witzmarvia Clement, Bridget Hess, Mackenzie Reilly, and Isabel Duncan worked together to create movement and space and challenge Villa Maria’s defense.”
Up next: Upper Moreland (13-8, 7-4 SOL) will host #4 Mount St. Joseph in the District 1 2A third place game with the winner earning the third and final berth in the PIAA 2A state tournament.
Villa Maria Academy 2-1-2-1-0-1 7
Upper Moreland 2-1-1-2-0-0 6
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