It was a most interesting opening round for the SOL.
Four teams advanced – North Penn, Abington, Upper Dublin and Wissahickon. Another four went home for the season – Springfield, Souderton, Central Bucks East and Pennridge. Two didn’t play because of field conditions – Council Rock North and Hatboro-Horsham, and one squad – Springfield - turned in the best effort its coach had ever seen from one of his teams in 10 years at the helm.
Here’s a recap of all of Tuesday’s SOL action.
#6 North Penn 13, #27 Methacton 8
The Maidens were expected to control their opening round match against the Warriors, and they did, opening up an early 4-0 lead and going on top 12-4 before the Warriors staged a late rally.
“I think we played well,” coach Jami Wilus said. “We didn’t take as many shots as we’re used to taking. We probably could have pushed the fast break a little more, but we played very controlled today.
“It looked to me as though Methacton was trying to slow the tempo of the game down. They had some long possessions that took time off the clock. We were up at the time, so we didn’t feel like it was really necessary to go out and pressure and play crazy when we were the ones with the lead.”
Garrie Grenfell contributed five goals and two assists as she stepped into a starting role in the absence of Rachel Shaw, who suffered a concussion in the Central Bucks South game and is out indefinitely.
“She was phenomenal today,” Wilus said of Grenfell. “She was 5-for-5 shooting, and she was in the right spot at the right time for the entire game.
“She has a pretty good shot. Sometimes she doesn’t get a lot of opportunities, but their defense was sliding a lot to some of our higher girls, and she was open around the crease and really took her time to fake and not just throw it at the goalie’s stick. She had a great game.”
Abbie Hartman also scored five goals for the Maidens while Stacey Pellechia (one assist), Dani Horn (four assists) and Brenda McDermott each scored single goals. Steph Knauer and Halie Lear contributed assists.
“Basically, this is a whole new season,” Hartman said. “Our practices have been intense. Now that it’s playoff time – we can mess up. We don’t want to make any mistakes.
“As a team, we just want to work together and make it as far as we can. Today we controlled the game. We had spurts of mistakes and turnovers, but with every turnover or mistake, we got it back or scored or had a real good transition. All of our positives definitely outweighed the negatives.”
Is there pressure playing for a program with high expectations?
“There’s always going to be pressure on every team with the higher seeding because you’re expected to win,” Hartman said. “I know for me individually – the more pressure, the better, and as a team, the more pressure we have, the better we play.
“We use that as motivation, and we use that to motivate ourselves to do better and show anyone who is questioning us or doubting us.”
Brenda McDermott had five ground balls to lead the Maidens while Kaitlin Colbridge and Hartman both had four.
Goalie Sarah Prall turned away nine shots for the Maidens, who held a 23-15 advantage in shots.
The Maidens will host 11th-seeded Merion Mercy in Thursday’s second round.
“I just want to keep on practicing and keep on playing,” Hartman said. “This is what we worked for the whole season, making it further and further.”
#8 Upper Dublin 11, #25 Avon Grove 10
Seeds are not always indicative of a team’s ability. That certainly was the case when Upper Dublin faced an Avon Grove team that looked anything but the part of the tournament’s 25th seed.
“Avon Grove – they were good,” coach Dee Cross said. “It was a testament to the girls that they came out with a ‘W’ because it was definitely a dog fight.
“After the game, they had a couple of girls in tears, and I said to their coaches, ‘You guys were awesome. I cannot believe you were seeded 25th in the tournament.’ They said every game in their league is that competitive.
“Unfortunately, we don’t get that consistently, and it was a big, big challenge for us. I’m just glad we came out on the winning end of it because it could have gone either way.”
The Flying Cardinals led 6-4 at halftime and went on to open up an 8-5 lead only to watch their visitors rally to knot the score and then go on top 9-8 and again 10-9.
“I was not ready to see our season end – not that I thought about it, but all of a sudden in the game, I had a little bit of panic,” Cross said.
If coach Cross was feeling a bit of panic, at least one of her players was feeling confident.
“To be honest, I knew the whole time we would be able to win,” senior Amy Cross said. “I knew that if we just pulled it together, we would be able to come out with a ‘W,’ but we definitely knew we had to pull it together because we let them back in the game, and they gained confidence.
“I knew we could pull it out. I just could feel it.”
That feeling proved to be correct, and with one minute on the clock, Kelly Cross found Amy Cross for a goal that put the Flying Cardinals on top for good.
“Amy stepped up today when we needed her to,” coach Cross said. “As a senior leader, she definitely wanted the ball at the end of the game, and we needed that to happen.
“We had been hitting posts, we had been shooting high – it was crazy. After we scored, we were able to get the draw and hold onto the ball. We did not feel comfortable until there was like five seconds on the clock.”
All told, the Flying Cardinals took 38 shots.
“We shot at the goalie, and she was very good, very active in goal,” coach Cross said. “She had some great saves. She came out of the cage, and she just took us out of our shooting game.
“They were just very fast. They had 12 athletes on the field, and that was a big difference because they were all very feisty and aggressive.”
Amy Cross, who led the Cardinals with three goals and three assists, acknowledged that it was not the Cardinals’ best shooting day.
“We missed a lot of our eight meters,” she said. “We would miss wide, but luckily, we were still able to score when it counted, but we definitely should have made more. That’s one thing we have to work on if we want to keep going. That’s going to be crucial to get those goals.”
Jordan O’Reilly, Emily Hitchings (one assist) and Brooke Callahan (one assist) each had two goals while Kelly Cross (three assists) and Kathleen Speese both added one goal.
“Jordan O’Reilly had two goals and key ground balls for us all over the field,” coach Cross said. “Kathleen Speese is usually steady for us on attack but had a really, really nice goal when we needed it.
“Michele DeVincent had some great ground balls that gave us possession of the ball. A lot of different people contributed.”
The Flying Cardinals will face ninth-seeded Conestoga in Thursday’s second round, but for one day, the players were enjoying their big win.
“This is huge,” Amy Cross said. “We haven’t had much tough competition in our league, so this got us pumped up that we beat a really good team. We’re really excited to play Conestoga, and hopefully, we’ll be able to move on because we have never made it that far.”
#13 Abington 14, #20 Downingtown West 12
Molly Seefried didn’t want to see the season end, so the Abington junior went out and scored six goals. It was one of many big performances that allowed the Ghosts to survive Tuesday’s opening round.
“This win is huge for us,” Seefried said. “I felt as if we really worked together as a team instead of individuals just going to goal.
“We had a lot of assists, and some of our more inexperienced players scored goals, and if they hadn’t scored, the game would have been tied. I personally – and my friend Carli Fitzgerald – we just wanted to play for our seniors.”
Coach Julie Martinez wasn’t kidding when – prior to Tuesday’s contest - she suggested that her squad was very evenly matched with Downingtown West. The two teams battled it out for 50 minutes, and in the end, it was single goals by a sophomore – Elisa MacColl – and a freshman – Hanna Sjoholm – that proved to be the difference in the game.
“We traded goals,” Martinez said. “It was tit for tat, and in the end, my girls were a little hungrier. They were able to maintain possession of the ball, and Emily Towey came up two huge saves in the last four minutes that could have been game changing.
“It was real exciting.”
The Ghosts never trailed, although the Whippets knotted the score 9-9 with 16 minutes remaining.
“I called a timeout and said, ‘Alright, here we are. All you can do is win some draws, take care of the ball, and you have to want it. End of discussion,’” Martinez said. “The girls were all fired up.
“They were out there on a mission today. It didn’t matter what the weather was. It didn’t matter what the field conditions were. They were ready.”
In addition to Seefried, Courtney Cox contributed three goals and one assist, and Carli Fitzgerald added two goals, two assists and four ground balls.
Seefried scored the first three goals of the game, but each time the Whippets had an answer.
“We came out a little slow because it was 55 degrees out, there was definitely some wind, and between our eight and 12, we had baseball infield dirt poured down to soak up some of the puddles of rain water that had been pouring down all day,” Martinez said. “The conditions were unfavorable for both teams, and that’s what I tried to tell the girls.
“We went into the game thinking – control what we can. We can’t control the weather, we can’t control what the refs are going to call, but we can control how we come out and how we play.”
Liz Wilson set the tone for the defense with six ground balls to go along with six draw controls, five caused turnovers and – for good measure – a goal.
“It doesn’t get any better than that,” Martinez said. “If you take that mantra that big players step up in big games, Liz Wilson, Molly Seefried, Courtney Cox and Carli Fitzgerald were the big players today. They stepped it up, and it wasn’t just them. Courtney Enderle had four ground balls. Everyone contributed, even Elisa MacColl and Hanna Sjoholm had a goal each.
“It was different players stepping up. When our best three attackers were being pressured, younger players stepped up and took care of the ball.”
So what turned the season around for a Ghost squad that struggled out of the gate after losing Kate Cooper to a torn ACL?
“Kate’s injury was really a downfall for us, and it was hard for us to come back,” Seefried said. “At the same time, it helped us come together because we wanted to play for her.”
According to Seefried, the obstacles the team went through make its accomplishments even sweeter.
“Over the last three years, we have won the league championship, but I feel like it was just handed to us,” she said. “We didn’t have to work for it. This is the first year we had to work for it, and it feels so much better to win it that way.”
Tuesday’s opening round win was icing on the cake for the Ghosts.
“I am so excited for the girls,” Martinez said. “You couldn’t wipe the smiles off their faces. They played their hearts out.
“As a coach, I couldn’t be more proud, and I can’t ask for anything more. It was really fun.”
As a result of their win, the Ghosts have earned a date with fourth-seeded Strath Haven.
“Last year we went in as the six seed, and we eked out a first-round win, and we eked out a second-round win, and today we never trailed,” Martinez said. “We were confident, and we knew this was our game.
“The exciting part was we didn’t know who the star player was going to be. It really was a team effort. Every single person contributed to this win, every person who was out there.”
#16 Wissahickon 12, #17 Garnet Valley 10
The Trojans continue to make history, making the most of their first ever home playoff game by winning and advancing to the second round of the district tournament.
“It was a great accomplishment for us – for our coaches and our players who are out there doing it,” coach Jamie Donahue said. “I’m extremely proud of the girls and the program, and I’m hoping this sets the tone even higher.
“Last year was a hard season to match, but this year, we took it one step further.”
The Trojans led 7-5 at halftime.
“It was crazy,” Donahue said. “At the beginning of the game, it was goal for goal – they would score a goal, we would score a goal, and that happened for four draw controls.
“We got the lead, and just one or two goals over gave them the momentum to ride that wave to a ‘W.’ With the seeds being so close, it was so indicative of the game.”
Samantha Stutman contributed three goals and one assist, and teammate Aubrey Bossert had three goals and led the team in draw controls with three. Hilary Hunter had two goals, two assists and two draw controls.
Alex Smith (one assist), Ashley Bossert (one assist), Emily Croke and Laura Frankenfield each had one goal to close out the scoring.
“Everyone worked together, everyone was using each other, getting open,” Stutman said. “It was just clicking today.”
The Wissahickon senior admitted that it’s been an exciting ride for the Trojans.
“It’s been a great opportunity for all of us, and I know all of the seniors are really excited about making playoffs and playing at home,” Stutman said. “Today we were all excited, we were anxious. We knew Garnet Valley was a really good team, and we all just wanted to win. We played really well together.”
Defensively, Jackie Hibbs led the Trojans in ground balls with five while goalie Jess Scannapieco had seven saves in goal.
Things get a whole lot tougher for the Trojans when they face top-seeded Radnor in Thursday’s second round, but no matter what happens, it’s been a memorable experience.
“It’s really exciting,” Stutman said. “I’m glad we had the opportunity to do this.”
#11 Merion Mercy 19, #22 Souderton 13
Souderton undoubtedly left Tuesday’s game against Merion Mercy wondering might have been.
What would have happened if the Indians hadn’t fallen behind 6-0 out of the gate? What could have happened if they had played the entire game the way they played during a dazzling stretch in the second half that saw the Indians trim a once seven-goal lead to three?
“Every time we get down, it’s the same things we need to fix, and we know it,” said Nicole Bauer, just two days removed from the due date of the birth of her first child. “It’s our passing, it’s our catching, it’s going to ground balls, and it’s getting draw control.
“They’re a good team, but when we actually got the ball, we were able to go down and score.”
The Indians trailed 11-4 after the first half and still trailed by seven (16-9) with 8:35 remaining, but that’s when the fun started. It began with the Indians winning the draw and Lindsay Walbrandt finding Kirstin Russell for the score. After Danielle Notvest came up with the ball on the ensuing draw and raced in for the score, the Indians were in business, trailing just 16-11.
Again, the Indians won the draw, and this time a highlight reel passing sequence saw Notvest find Russell, who passed it back to Notvest for the score, and in a dazzling 28-second span, the Indians had trimmed three goals off Merion Mercy’s lead.
So what changed?
“If I could understand this team and tell you how we work, I would be a rich girl right now,” Walbrandt said. “I don’t know what it is.
“Something clicks, and we start picking it up. When we see everyone starting to play up to how we know, it transfers to other players on the team. I think that happened today, and it was fun when we were on a roll. That’s what lacrosse is. That’s what makes it fun, and I’m proud of us for doing that.”
The score was 16-13 at the 5:14 mark after Walbrandt found Melinda Wojt for the score, and the Souderton fans who made the trek to St. Joseph’s University were making some serious noise. But Merion Mercy closed out the game with a 3-0 run to seal the Indians’ fate.
“When we were on that roll, I really thought we had it,” Walbrandt said. “Again, it was the dropped passes, pick-up balls, draw control – it was the little things we couldn’t capitalize on, and that’s what got us.”
Walbrandt was assigned the task of containing All-American Margaret Corzel, and she limited the University of North Carolina-bound senior to just three goals – none after the first 13 minutes of the game.
“She did an awesome job,” Bauer said. “I knew Lindsay wanted to win this game more than anyone on the field. I knew she would do anything in her power to stop that girl.”
In addition to face guarding Corzel, Walbrandt scored a goal and contributed four assists. Notvest had a team-high five goals while Russell had three goals and three assists. Wojt had a pair of goals, and Carly Kendall contributed a single goal.
For sophomore goalie Kait Crouthamel, who turned away 16 shots in a busy afternoon, it was indoctrination to districts by fire.
“It’s really intense,” she said. “They made good passes, and they knew how to shoot the ball in the corners, so I had to adapt to it.
“We really wanted to win, but even though we lost, we know we played our hardest, and we’re not upset about it. We played with heart, and as a team we’re really close.”
Senior Casey Rooney led Merion Mercy with four goals and nine assists.
#4 Strath Haven 13, #29 Springfield (Montco) 9
The Spartans didn’t win the game, but they might well have pulled off the most impressive performance of the tournament, hanging with a Strath Haven squad that not only brought a 15-1 record into the game but also handed top-seeded Radnor its only defeat of the season.
“This was the best game our team played all year,” coach Ken Rodoff said. “And even though we lost, I can confidently say that this is the best effort any Springfield lacrosse team put forth in the 10 years that I have been coaching.
“The girls fought for every possession, ran a deliberate, controlled offense, executed a solid team defense, and Maggie (Olson) was huge, setting the standard by turning away the first three shots from Strath Haven.”
Olson finished the game with 12 saves.
Morgan Smith led the Spartans with four goals – her third was the 100th of her varsity career. Sarah Studdiford (two assists) and Anna Studenmund (one assist) both added a pair of goals.
The difference in the game was a 6-0 run by Strath Haven in the final 3:52 of the opening half.
The Spartans closed out the year with a 10-4 mark in league play (12-7 overall).
#3 Springfield-Delco 17, #30 Central Bucks East 6
#9 Conestoga 12, #24 Pennridge 1
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