Upper Moreland won its first state playoff game in program history in Monday’s opening round of the PIAA 2A State Tournament. Check out the Black Bear Lacrosse game recap.
PIAA 2A opening round
#1-4 UPPER MORELAND 11, #2-1 ABINGTON HEIGHTS 9
Undeterred by the 2-hour bus ride and the sweltering temperatures, the Golden Bears came out flying, opening up a 5-2 lead after one quarter and then withstood every Comet comeback attempt on their way to the first state playoff win in program history.
“It means so much to us as seniors,” senior Olivia Meakim said. “We worked so hard for this, and after last year having a tough first state game, this game was definitely a great feeling after we won.
“We had a two-hour long bus ride, but we had to find a way to grab the energy back. All of us were pretty much dying out there (in the heat), but both teams had to play through it.”
As for her team’s strong start out of the gate, UM coach Kim Frantz was not surprised.
“We came amped and ready to play – they were ready to go right from the beginning,” the Golden Bears’ coach said.
The Comets battled back to make it a 7-6 game late in the second quarter, but Olivia Meakim scored as time expired to send the Golden Bears into halftime with an 8-6 lead.
“There was 12 seconds left when we got the ball on defense,” Frantz said. “We transitioned quickly, and Olivia knew there was very little time, and she just turned and shot from about 12 meters and made the shot with 1.7 seconds. It was right in the top corner, it was perfect.”
The second half was more defensive for both sides.
“As a defense, we just wanted to lock down on the cutters,” senior defender Cambrie Richmond said. “We knew in the first half they had a lot of people open in the middle, and we wanted to prevent that from happening, so just sticking close to the 8 and making sure that we had the middle covered was key.”
The Golden Bears took an 11-7 lead into the final quarter and then held on for a win that was once again a team effort.
“We’re strong from all different grades,” Meakim said. “We have four starting freshmen, five starting seniors and all in between, so that is incredible for our team moving forward and right now. We work so well together – we’ve known each other for so many years.”
Frantz had high praise for her defense, which limited the Comets to just three second-half goals.
“Our defense made adjustments in the second half and came up huge being able to make Abington Heights really work for each goal,” the UM coach said. “Avery Adamski as always was our voice on defense while our two freshmen, Leah King and Madeline Cox, were great at keeping composure and forcing turnovers in the critical scoring area. Our final defender Cambrie Richmond worked well analyzing what we needed to fix and implementing quick changes. “
“The defense comes out very consistently with our game,” Richmond said. “We’ve worked really well together throughout the season, and we’ve really gotten down how we work together and how we connect.
“I think as the game progresses – our lacrosse IQ is high enough, and we can understand the plays the other team is running and how we need to work together to interrupt that just to stop their momentum and get the ball back.”
Annalise Messina led the Golden Bears with a dazzling seven-goal effort that also included seven caused turnovers, five ground balls and seven draw controls. Olivia Meakim finished with three goals, two assists and one draw control while Molly Meakim had one goal and assisted on five others. Keiley Hawk had seven draw controls, and Willow Taylor had one assist and two draw controls.
“We are very excited to be celebrating our first state win in UM girls’ lacrosse program history,” Frantz said. “This was a really great game. Abington Heights played well and definitely did a good job getting us out of our rhythm.
“We adjusted with Annalise Messina having a strong game of 7’s, dominating on the draw with 7 draw controls, 7 goals, and 7 caused turnovers. We had great chemistry on attack being sparked by intense cutting from Maggie Morrow and Keira Hess and added energetic presence from both Maggie Brophy and Ella Gould.
“Overall, this game had its up and downs, but the girls kept playing at 100 percent. The team has an outstanding support system, including our admin and athletic trainer who traveled to the game, family and friends in the stands, and our players on the sideline who kept up the energy by celebrating everthing and shouting out to the girls on the field helping our team. We were able to come together today for a win and we aren’t done yet. The girls are ready to keep working and continue making history once again with a second states win.”
For the Golden Bears, the win couldn’t have come at a better time.
“It’s phenomenal,” Richmond said. “We’re loving it – I’m loving every minute of it. My graduation is tomorrow, and I’m still playing lacrosse, which is the greatest feeling to have.”
Upper Moreland (18-5, 9-2 SOL) will face the winner of Tuesday’s game pitting District 1 champion Bishop Shanahan versus Hershey, District 3’s third place team.
Upper Moreland 5-3-3-0 11
Abington Heights 2-4-1-2 9
Black Bear Lacrosse, the sponsor for SuburbanOneSports lacrosse summaries, is offering summer camps for boys/girls kindergarten through rising 10th grade. Click here for for additional information: https://www.blackbearlacrosse.com
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