Check out the Black Bear Lacrosse Club recaps for SOL girls’ lacrosse teams in action Monday. Abington/Springfield Twp photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for a gallery of photos. CLICK HERE to go directly to Suburban One Sports' GIRLS' LACROSSE GALLERIES.
National Conference
PENNRIDGE 14, PENNSBURY 10
Trailing 6-5 at halftime after a hard-fought first half, Pennridge picked it up in the third quarter, netting 6 goals to pull ahead of Pennsbury on the way to a highly competitive 14-10 victory in Monday’s National Conference showdown.
“Going into the second half I could feel the fire burning from the opposing team’s bench,” said Pennridge coach Maddie Dachowski. “We needed to bring the energy, and I reminded the girls what we were playing for. I told them, ‘This is our game, our season, and our league,’ and there was no way we were walking away today with anything but a win. The game plan was simple, we needed to get more possession off the draw and put away our shots.
“I have to hand it to Grace Holmes on Pennsbury - she is a very talented draw taker and we were pulling out all the stops to try and beat her. We prepped this week and made sure we had options in our back pocket and we used all of them today.”
Gianna Leuthe led the Pennridge attack, netting a game-high 5 goals and adding 2 assists as well as 2 ground balls and 5 draw controls.
Grace Holmes was stellar for the Falcons, scoring a team-leading 4 goals, earning 10 draw controls, and adding 5 ground balls and 1 caused turnover.
By the numbers: Pennridge: Leah Verespy (2 goals, 2 GB, 1 CT, 1 DC), Gianna Leuthe (5 goals, 2 assists, 2 GB, 5 DC), Aubrey Bailey (3 goals, 1 GB, 3 CTO, 1 DC), Madigan Posey (2 goals, 2 GB, 2 DC), Cayla Wurz (1 goal, 4 assists, 3 GB), Taylor Burkett (1 goal, 1 assist, 2 GB, 5 DC), Delaney Dodge (3 GB, 3 CTO).
Pennsbury: Grace Holmes (4 goals, 1 CTO, 5 GB, 10 DC), Jordan Ewart (1 CTO, 1 GB), Annie Cimochowski (1 CTO, 3 GB), Sasha Dobos (4 goals, 1 assist, 1 CTO, 3 GB), Gretchen Hill (1 assist, 2 GB), Amanda Fitchel (1 CTO, 3 GB), Abby Hicks (1 CTO), Angelina Kenney (2 goals, 1 assist, 1 GB, 3 DC), Abby Iacona (2 assists, 1 GB).
Pennridge coach Maddie Dachowski: “This was a great game and very hard-fought battle today vs Pennsbury, who I thought brought their A game. They played great and were definitely coming into today looking to take back the league and get a win. We fought hard and came up victorious. This was a huge win for our group since we lost to this team last year, which caused us to tie the league. It was definitely a revenge game for us, and so far, we have proven to take back our wins that came short last season.”
—Setting the tone early: “The first quarter was a great example of what we would expect the whole game, a lot of effort from each side. Strong defensive plays, hard-fought 50/50 balls, and some solid goal scoring. The first to score for the Rams was Cayla Wurz, who picked us a 50/50 ball from a rebound and had a beautiful finish in the back of the net. Next was an iso drive from Gianna Leuthe, who notched her first of the day. Madigan Posey was next as she took an iso drive to cage with just under 2 minutes to go in the first. Pennsbury was able to answer back and even tied it up with an 8-meter with just a second on the clock. We ended the quarter 3-3.”
—Cleaning things up in the second: “Going into the second quarter, I told the girls to gain momentum and clean up the fouls. The game was aggressive, and we needed to use that to our advantage. If we played clean, we could get the calls. Gianna Leuthe was the only player to score for us in the second quarter, one off a drive, and the next off an assist from Wurz. Leuthe completed another first-half hat trick, which marks her fifth of the season. We ended the half down one goal, but also man up for 2 minutes to start the second half after a Pennsbury dangerous shot ended the quarter.”
—Taking control: “We were able to make the adjustments and control the third, which was the turning point that led to our win. We started gaining possession on the circle, and it sparked a lot of success. Leah Verespy scored her first off a Leuthe assist, in classic Leah fashion it was a beautiful twizzler goal – nothing new for the senior who is known to take that creative risk on the field. Next was Posey for her second, off another Wurz assist. Aubrey Bailey got into the action and found the back of the net off a must-score 8-meter shot. Leuthe notched her fourth of the day right off the draw only 13 seconds later. Bailey scored again in transition to mark her second of the day. Last to score on the quarter was Verespy for her second off of Wurz’s third assist of the game.”
—Keeping focused: “Going into the fourth, the first thing I did was point to the scoreboard. It was 11-8 and I told the girls to remember that we were up, and it was our game to finish. The fourth became a game of patience and possession. We had to be smart with the ball and take some time off the clock, but we also had to keep putting points up because this game is just filled with back-and-forth … you never know what to expect. Taylor Burkett put up her first and only of the game off of a Leuthe assist. Burkett, who has been a top goal-scorer for us, really shined on the circle today. She came up with 5 draw controls, which were not easy to come by. Taylor has 29 draws so far on the season. Bailey was next to score from Wurz’s fourth assist of the day, marking another 5-point game for the senior. Bailey, typically a player that shines doing the ‘dirty work’ coming up with caused turnovers and ground balls, completed her hat trick and marked her second of the season. Last to score for the rams was Leuthe, who put the final nail in the coffin and scored her fifth of the day for another 7-point game.”
—Looking ahead: “Overall, I am happy with this win and think we took risks today that will prepare us for future competition. Reflecting on today, I saw a lot of depth on the attacking end. It is just a reminder that we always have 7 threats that can go to cage, which I think makes this team so special and so strong. We look forward to another league game vs CB East next week and are looking to continue our 6-0 winning streak in the league.”
Up next: Pennsbury (4-7, 2-3 SOL) will visit North Penn at 3:30 pm April 23. Pennridge (11-1, 6-0) returns to action at Central Bucks East at 6 pm April 23.
Pennridge 3 2 6 3 – 14
Pennsbury 3 3 2 2 – 10
American Conference
ABINGTON 9, SPRINGFIELD TWP 8
The third time was truly the charm for Nora Luskin.
The sophomore midfielder scored her third goal of the game with just seconds left on the clock as Abington pulled out a thrilling 9-8 victory over Springfield Twp in Monday’s American Conference showdown.
After a deadlocked first quarter, Abington pulled ahead in the middle two quarters, then saw the Spartans roar back to forge a tie late in the fourth quarter. Luskin then netted her third of the game to lift the Ghosts to the win. Goalkeeper Cheyenne Fisher made 13 saves to pick up the win in the cage for Abington.
Shannon Silvius led the Spartans with a game-high 5 goals, while Stormii Sprague made 10 saves.
By the numbers: Springfield Twp: Shannon Silvius (5 goals), Ella McLaughlin (1 assist), Frankie Rizzo (1 goal), Lucy McDevitt (2 goals, 2 assists), Stormii Sprague (10 saves).
Abington: Abby Ellner (1 assist, 3 GB), Nora Luskin (3 goals, 1 CTO, 2 GB), Erin Ely (1 assist, 1 CTO), Charlotte Lowery (1 assist, 4 GB), Addison Doyle (2 goals, 1 CTO, 4 GB), Katie Pennekamp (2 goals, 1 assist, 1 CTO, 7 GB, 4 DC), Olivia Capps (2 CTO, 2 GB, 3 DC), Sophia Afflisio (1 CTO, 1 GB), Carly Hughes (2 goals, 2 CTO, 3 GB, 4 DC), Lily Gerhard (1 CTO, 2 GB), Katie Egan (1 CTO), Cheyenne Fisher (13 saves).
Abington coach Meg MacClain: “The girls fought hard from the start to the end. The offense worked nicely together to find an open person to take it to the net. Our defense worked well together to get 9 caused turnovers to transition the ball back to attack.”
Springfield Twp coach Katrina Borzelleca: “Today's game was a back-and-forth battle. Abington has some very talented players on their team, and I felt that we did a good job containing them. Lacrosse is a game of runs and we had a little let-up in the middle of the game. We talked about coming out strong right out of the gate and playing consistently for the whole game.”
—Props: “Shannon Silvius had a phenomenal game with 5 goals and gave us a spark when we needed it. Lucy McDevitt played well and contributed 2 goals and 2 assists for us. Stormii Sprague was solid in goal with a total of 10 saves. She came up with some key saves for us throughout and the game and in the stretch when we needed them most.”
—Playing as a team: “I am proud of this team for playing together as one. These girls have each other’s back, pick each other up when needed, and work through things as a unit. You can always find them working together toward common goals and they always have the team and each other in mind.”
Up next: Abington (4-5, 3-3 SOL) will visit Quakertown at 7 pm April 23. The Spartans (5-5, 3-2) will host Central Bucks West at 3:30 pm Wednesday.
Abington 1 4 3 1 – 9
Springfield Twp 1 2 1 4 – 8
Nonleague
QUAKERTOWN 11, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 8
(Submitted by Quakertown girls lacrosse)
Quakertown topped Central Bucks East 11-8 in a Monday afternoon nonleague game.
The two teams had a great battle throughout the four quarters, with two quarters ending in a tie (Q1: 4-4; and Q3: 8-8).
Quakertown senior goalie Cassidy Lamont played a crucial role in the team's win with 12 saves on the day. Senior captain Maddie Taylor led Quakertown with 4 goals and 1 assist. Junior captain Casey Rosenberger was key in the midfield with 9 draw controls, 1 caused turnover, and 1 goal. Freshman Ellie Stanziola and sophomore Darcy Baxter each found the back of the net twice. Paige Longacre and Cassidy Landis, both sophomores, each tallied 1 goal.
Paige Dougherty and McKenna Lynch led East with 3 goals each.
By the numbers: Quakertown: Maddie Taylor (4 goals, 1 assist), Casey Rosenberger (1 goal, 1 CTO, 9 DC), Ellie Stanziola (2 goals), Darcy Baxter (2 goals), Paige Longacre (1 goal), Cassidy Landis (1 goal), Cassidy Lamont (12 saves).
Central Bucks East: Paige Dougherty (3 goals, 2 DC), McKenna Lynch (3 goals, 1 DC), Emma Weisel (1 goal), Cece Hayes (1 goal, 2 assists, 2 CTO, 7 DC), Ella Menard (3 CTO, 4 GB).
Up next: Quakertown heads to Bensalem for a 3:45 pm Wednesday game. The Patriots will host Upper Perkiomen at 6 pm April 22.
Central Bucks East 4 3 1 0 – 8
Quakertown 4 1 3 3 – 11
UPPER MORELAND 18, LANSDALE CATHOLIC 8
Keira Hess contributed on 8 goals for Upper Moreland as the Bears jumped out quickly and never looked back in an 18-8 win over Lansdale Catholic in Monday’s nonleague game.
Hess scored 5 goals and picked up 3 assists.
Annalise Messina scored 7 goals and added 5 draw controls.
By the numbers: Upper Moreland: Annalise Messina (7 goals, 5 DC), Keira Hess (5 goals, 3 assists), Keiley Hawk (1 goal, 1 assist, 6 DC), Charlie Clement (1 goal), Leah King (1 goal), Mackenzie Reilly (1 goal), Ella Gould (1 goal), Avery Adamski (1 goal), MJ Reilly (1 assist), Madeline Cox (3 DC), Addi Hurley (5 saves).
Upper Moreland coach Kim Frantz: “Our team played very well together today. We did some basics very well that we haven’t been doing up to this point – it’s exciting to see a lot of growth. We are coming together as a unit and having 8 people part of scoring today is exciting. Overall it was a great game to see the team work together as a unit.
—Props: “Keiley Hawk led the team with ground balls through lots of hustle on the field, and also led the team today in draw controls.”
Up next: The Golden Bears will visit Cheltenham at 3:30 pm Monday.
Lansdale Catholic 1 3 2 2 – 8
Upper Moreland 5 3 5 5 – 18
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