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ABINGTON – The final seconds seemed like an eternity.At least they did to Council Rock North, and at one point, Pat Toner looked at co-coach Carolyn Kacergis and said, ‘We can’t lose a four-goal lead in 42 seconds, can we?’
Hardly.
At least not the way the Indians were playing defense.
Granted, Abington managed a late-game flurry to trim a five-goal Indian lead to three, but for the better part of 50 minutes, Monday night’s National Conference showdown belonged to the relentless Indians, who downed the Ghosts 10-7 to stake an early claim on the conference’s top spot.
“I’m extremely proud of the girls,” Kacergis said. “They have been working so hard all season long. They have been playing together and supporting each other on and off the field.
“I’m happy with the way they’re coming together.”
The jubilant celebration when the final horn sounded suggested that this win over the defending National Conference champions was a special one.
“This is something we have been working up to the whole season,” said sophomore Hannah Plappert, who led the Indians with five goals. “It feels really good to finally get here and overcome what we knew was a goal. It shows us how our hard work is paying off now.”
On the other side of the field, the Ghosts will try to recapture the form they displayed when they scored three of the game’s last four goals after Rock North opened up a 9-4 lead.
“I’m really proud of the way the girls played because they fought,” Abington coach Julie Martinez said. “I think our defense did a great job. We held a very athletic team to 10 goals.
“We have a definitely more potent attack, but tonight – and you see it in all sports – we were unlucky. We slipped when we had possession of the ball, we hit a couple of posts at the end. It doesn’t always go your way, but I’m hoping the next time we play them we come out with the same fight and a little bit more sense of determination, but we’re a really young and inexperienced team.”
The tone for this one was set early when goalie Sarah Kiely came up with several big stops, and for Kiely, a newcomer to lacrosse who is bound for American on a basketball scholarship, the opportunity to play Abington is always special.
“Personally, the only vengeance I have with Abington is for basketball,” said the senior goalie, who turned away seven shots. “It’s just exciting because everyone is telling me stories of how every year the game is close, and then something happens, and Abington comes out on top.
“It’s a great feeling just beating Abington in any sport.”
Kara Magley (Jackie Strange assist) put the Indians on the scoreboard at the 20:16 mark. A goal by Lindsay Rheiner made it a 2-0 game at the 15:14 mark, but the Ghosts – or more specifically Courtney Cox – needed all of 27 seconds before answering with a goal off the draw.
Rheiner answered for the Indians, connecting 45 seconds later to give the Indians a two-goal cushion (3-1). Rock North’s Becky Ely came up with a ground ball behind the Indians’ goal and sprinted up the field. Moments later, Plappert turned it into a free position goal that put the Indians on top 4-1 midway through the opening half.
“I felt like it was more of a possession game,” Plappert said. “It was draw control and ground balls that really set the precedent for the game.
“We’re both great teams, and it’s really head-to-head, so whoever has the ball is dominant.”
Abington’s Molly Seefried split the Indians’ defense for a goal to make it a 4-2 game at the 9:06 mark, but exactly 60 seconds later, the Plappert sisters connected for a goal when Elly found Hannah for the score and a 5-2 Rock North lead that held up until halftime.
“They kept getting the draw control and bringing it down and settling behind (the net),” Abington senior captain Liz Wilson said. “We kept shooting at the goalie’s feet, the goalie’s body and just passing it around. No one seemed like they really wanted to go to goal.”
Wilson came up with a ground ball near midfield after the draw to open the second half and moments later connected on a free position goal to make it a 5-3 game.
This time it was Elly Plappert who had an answer for the Indians when she scored on a no-doubt-about-it shot on a free position. When Hannah Plappert connected on a free position goal, the Indians led 7-3.
“They possessed the ball for probably 40 out of 50 minutes, and I always say – the game of lacrosse comes down to three things, and that’s draws, ground balls and possession,” Martinez said. “They beat us in draws, they possessed the ball a lot more than we did, and ground balls were 50-50.”
Seefried responded with a goal for the Ghosts, but Hannah Plappert came around goal for the score, and when Rheiner (Hannah Plappert assist) scored at the 10:34 mark, the Indians led 9-4.
Carly Fitzgerald (Seefried assist) scored back-to-back goals to trim the Indians’ lead to three.
Hannah Plappert scored a come-around goal before Cox – with 18 seconds remaining - answered with a goal that closed out the scoring.
“I think after the timeout, we came out like we wanted it and we knew we could beat them,” Wilson said of a Ghost timeout late in the half. “We had a fight in us.
“I’m looking forward to the next game. I know we can beat them.”
The unsung heroes in Monday’s win were Rock North’s defenders, whose speed and tenacity made life difficult for the Ghosts all night long.
“We kept the intensity the entire game, and momentum never swung their way,” Kiely said. “That really benefitted us.”
“We needed to stay poised throughout the game and really control it,” added sophomore Kara Le, who helped anchor the defense. “They’re a good team, and they’ll fight to the end.
“This is huge – it sets our season for us. If we win this game, we know we’re able to push through the rest of the season.”
According to Toner, watching tape of last year’s game provided some valuable insights.
“Even though it’s a different team, we looked at the things that we’re good at that we weren’t doing,” the Indians’ coach said. “We’re fast, so why not make other teams deal with us.
“Any time you can beat a team as well coached and talented as Abington, we’re thrilled to death. I have the utmost respect for Julie’s knowledge. We wanted to play good, solid man-to-man, one-on-one defense, and I thought we did that pretty well.”
Despite the outcome, Martinez says she saw progress.
“The good news is we see them again,” the Ghosts’ coach said. “I know they’re going to be as prepared and as quick and focused. I just think we need to come even more ready to play.
“The Suburban One (National Conference) championship in my mind is not clear-cut. Sure, Council Rock North has the advantage at this point in time, but it’s more important in mid-May. We still have a lot of games to play, and we’re looking forward to that. The more we play, the more we grow.
“It will be a great game the next time we face them, so I’m looking forward to it.”
Pennridge 18, Council Rock South 6
Pennridge rebounded from a tough loss to North Penn to defeat the Golden Hawks in a non-league contest.
Jess Roy led the Rams with five goals and two assists while Jen Moyer had four goals and four assists. Sam Myers had the hat trick to go along with two assists. Emily Maher had two goals and one assist, and Julia Colyar had a pair. Lauren Abruzzo and Amanda Jaynes both had one goal. Sarah Wiley contributed an assist.
For the Golden Hawks, Lea Britton and Leann Hurley both had a pair of goals. Jamie Damirgian and Sarah Brotman both added single goals. Kiera McGovern contributed an assist.
Pennridge goalie Jenna Esposito turned away 14 shots. The Rams, who controlled the draw, allowed Rock South to win just four of 23 draws.
The Rams are 7-3 overall.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 12, Upper Moreland 4
Amy Powell scored three goals while Michelle Sturm and Kathryn Walker each connected on a pair of goals for the Colonials. Also making contributions were Dani Rosenberg (one goal, one assist), Meg McCullough (one goal, two assists), Cait Mundy (one goal), Mollie Getzfred (one goal) and Hannah Heritage (one goal).
Upper Moreland received goals from Lily Smith (two goals), Kelly Garis (one goal, one assist) and Kathryn Brunner (one goal, one assist).
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