Central Bucks West was the lone SOL girls’ lacrosse team that survived the second round of the District One Tournament on Thursday. Photos of the CB South/Radnor game are provided courtesy of Lisa Henderson. Please check back for a gallery of photos.
#10 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 7, #2 SPRINGFIELD-DELCO 3
Tara Schmucker spent the day Thursday sending inspiring clips from sports movies to her team in an attempt to get her players pumped up for their date against a heavily favored Cougar squad.
After watching her team pull off what might be the biggest upset in program history, the West coach might want to consider doing that before every game.
“I think it was just a matter of them believing they could win,” Schmucker said. “I think that was the biggest thing.
“Different teams came up with upsets today. I think it’s just a matter of showing up, and they did that today. They worked together as a team.”
The second-seeded Cougars undoubtedly didn’t know what hit them. One thing they knew for certain, it wasn’t good as their usually high-powered offense – which averaged close to 13 goals a game this season – scored just one goal until less than two minutes remained.
“I think our mindset was just – play as a team and work together, and it will fall into place,” said sophomore Maddie Maio, who led an inspired defensive effort. “Honestly, today was a total team effort.
“I have to credit my whole team because everyone worked so hard, and everybody played and fought.”
How good was Maio on the defensive end? Perhaps a tweet by Matt Smith of the Delco Times summed it up best: “CB West defensive mid Maddie Maio has been a beast.”
Schmucker called on the sophomore standout to mark junior Bridget Whitaker.
“She just did a phenomenal job on her,” the Bucks’ coach said. “She didn’t score all game, and Maddie had four caused turnovers and just played out of her mind.”
Maio also had six ground balls.
“I don’t really have a strategy,” she said. “I just play my game.
“I try to use my speed, and I like to think I have good defensive IQ. I just basically played on her and let whatever happened happen.”
While Maio was stymying Whitaker, junior goalie Lauren Devlin was stonewalling the Cougars at every turn. She finished with 10 saves.
“She had six in the second half that were huge for us, especially when we were running out of steam,” Schmucker said. “They have a bigger bunch than us, but we were still holding them on the defensive end.”
Devlin, meanwhile, tipped her hat to the defense.
“My defense did a phenomenal job,” the Bucks’ junior goalie said. “We all played amazing – I can’t even believe how many blocks we had.
“We really came together and confidence kept on building with every new block and every new defensive rep. We just kept getting psyched up and psyched up, and we never lost that the whole game, and I think that really, really helped us.”
There were other standouts on the defensive end.
“Lucy Varner had a great game – I thought she played great positioning as did Meghan Darcy,” Schmucker said.
Both players had two caused turnovers and three ground balls.
“Rachel Shaw did a phenomenal job in the defensive end, and in transition, she carried the ball up the field for us several times,” Schmucker said. “She had an assist as well.
“In general, it was just a team effort. Even if they were setting up a play and Maddie got picked off, someone else stepped up and took control. They did it together.”
The Bucks’ defense drew three charge calls.
It didn’t take long to figure out that goals would be hard to come by as neither team got on the scoreboard until –with 12:28 remaining in the first half – Casey Reichwein found the back of the net.
“We were pretty dominant in controlling the game in the first few minutes, and I think that solidified their thinking that – we can do this,” Schmucker said. “We had the ball most of the time.
“We forced them to turn over the ball in the midfield nine times in the first half. We just had a really successful re-defend. I think we shocked them. I don’t think they were expecting that.”
By halftime, the Bucks – thanks to two goals from both Reichwein and Kelly O’Callaghan – led 4-1.
“Scoring the first goal sets the pace,” Maio said. “Once we got that, considering they were the second seed, that just got us really excited.
“I think that brought all of our confidence up – all right, we can do this.”
Goals remained at a premium in the second half, and neither team scored until Bryn Boylan connected with 11:53 remaining. Just over a minute later, Shaw carried the ball from the defensive end and found Finley Ueland for a goal that put the Bucks on top 6-1.
“We could definitely tell they were getting frustrated, and I think we built off of that,” Devlin said. “We all knew this was going to be a tough game, but I think we came into it believing that we could win, and we definitely showed up today and played our hardest. I’m really proud of everyone. I think we played awesome.”
Another Boylan goal made it 7-1 with 2:01 remaining before the Cougars scored a pair of goals in the final 1:43.
“We kept looking at the clock, and it was 6-1 for the longest time,” Schmucker said. “We’re like ‘Okay, keep it running down.’
“This is legendary for our program. Our program has never made it to the third round.”
Emotions were still running high long after the Bucks returned to Doylestown.
“Oh my god, this is honestly the greatest feeling,” Maio said. “I can’t even explain it.
“On the bus home, everyone was so excited, screaming and going crazy. It feels great.”
O’Callaghan, Reichwein and Boylan scored two goals each while Ueland had one. Maio and Shaw both had an assist, and this was – according to Schmucker – a team effort.
“Before the game, I told them – it is not about I, it is about we,” the Bucks’ coach said. “I told them they needed to leave it all out on the field so this team could survive another day together, and that they all needed to be sure that Springfield remembered the day they played CB West. And they certainly did.
“They played as a team and they won as a team. Offensively, they moved the ball well, better than we have seen with such consistent pressure. It wasn’t perfect at times, and their goalie played well, but we always fought back for the ball and found the back of the net when they needed it most. Everyone contributed. I am so proud of their team effort.”
Katie Holt added two caused turnovers and one ground ball on the defensive end.
“The discipline, positioning and rebounds were consistent all game,” Schmucker said.
Central Bucks West (15-5, 9-1) will face 10th-seeded Bishop Shanahan in Saturday’s quarterfinal round at West Chester East. The Eagles pulled off a minor upset with their 11-7 win over seventh-seeded Downingtown East.
Central Bucks West 4-3 7
Springfield-Delco 1-2 3
#9 RADNOR 13, #8 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 6
When Kasey Dietzel turned a Krysta Reading pass into a goal 41 seconds into Thursday’s contest, the Titans had to feel pretty good about their chances. The two teams were still deadlocked 2-2 after a goal by Molly Sullivan (Kristen Berntsen assist) midway through the first half, but the Red Raiders closed out the opening half with a 5-1 tear to go into halftime with a 7-3 lead.
“They got on a run,” senior co-captain Courtney Dietzel said. “They’re so quick. We got on our heels, and they were blowing right past us.
“Once they get that momentum, there’s really no stopping them because they are so fast. I don’t know what it was. We were all getting frustrated with ourselves. I know everyone wanted it badly.”
The Red Raiders extended their run into the second half with four unanswered goals to go on top 11-3 on their way to a win that brought a historic season to a disappointing end for the Titans.
“I said to them – it wasn’t that they were beating us, it was that we were beating ourselves,” said South coach Janique Craig said. “We had those turnovers in transition, and they just capitalized.
“It was seven turnovers before my timeout (with 9:56 left in the first half), and they had a (three-goal) lead. Radnor stepped up on the draw control, they were smart on possession and they were moving the ball well.”
For the second time in three years, Radnor brought an end to CB South’s season.
“If we had to play any team, I’m so glad we got to play Radnor in our area – they’re a historic program,” Craig said. “I thought we played to the very end.
“They played with heart, and that’s all I can ask for. They had a great season, they really did. I’m so proud of them.”
Topping the list of ‘what ifs’ as the Titans walked off the field after their final game was how different the outcome might have been if senior co-captain Sarah Poli – who suffered a season-ending ACL tear on April 21 – would have been on the field instead of relegated to the role of ‘assistant coach’ on crutches on the sidelines.
“I think it would have made a difference if we would have had Sarah Poli on the field because she was such a powerhouse on attack,” Craig said. “Just the fact that our team got this far without our co-MVP two years in a row is pretty impressive.
“Courtney Dietzel did a great job leading the team without Sarah on the field.”
It’s safe to say no one took the loss harder than Poli.
“It’s so hard to watch on the sidelines,” she said. “It’s good because now I’m seeing what I can improve for next year, but it’s so hard to watch and not be able to be a part of it.
“We just didn’t show up to play today. This team – with all their talent and athleticism – I really think we could have beaten them if we had played our hardest.”
Poli’s heartbreak was Dietzel’s heartbreak as well.
“I’ll never get over the fact that she wasn’t here for the last few games because we work so well together,” the senior co-captain said. “That was the biggest disappointment this whole season.
“Right now we’re obviously all disappointed and bummed that we lost, but we can look back at the season and see only good things.”
Central Bucks South closed out its season with a program record 15 wins and just three losses. They were a perfect 10-0 en route to their program’s first SOL National Conference crown.
Radnor 7-6 13
Central Bucks South 3-3 6
#6 OWEN J ROBERTS 6, #11 ABINGTON 5 (OT)
The Ghosts’ postseason came to a heartbreaking end, an ending the young team will undoubtedly use as motivation in the offseason.
The Ghosts found themselves staring at a 3-0 score less than 10 minutes into the game, but the tide turned after an Abington timeout as the Ghosts reeled off four unanswered goals – two by Casey McCallister and one each from Rachel Morris and Lindsay Baer – to go into halftime with a 4-3 lead. That lead grew to 5-3 after another McCallister score, but that’s when the goals stopped coming for the Ghosts.
The Wildcats rallied to knot the score, and after failing to connect on a pair of shots late in regulation, the Ghosts found themselves heading into overtime for the second time in as many district games.
While it took four OT periods for the Ghosts to eke out a win over Strath Haven in Tuesday’s opener, the Wildcats needed just 16 seconds to bring an end to this one when Maddie Gebert found the net on an eight-meter shot.
McCallister – who finished the season strong – led the Ghosts with three goals. Sam McGee had one assist and three draw controls while Morris had a ground ball to go along with her goal. Maddie Sjoholm and Cathy Staerk both had one draw control, and Mikki Raymond had one ground ball and one draw control. Kaley Enhow had one ground ball.
Abington goalie Kiara Brasher was credited with eight saves.
“Kiki played amazing,” coach Amanda Kammes said.
Abington closed out its season with a 16-4 record overall (8-1 SOL). The Ghosts lost those four games by a total of five goals.
“The future is bright,” Kammes said. “There were a lot of cultural changes we had to make this year and lessons to learn and grow from.
“We were all heartbroken, but I know one thing about these kids. We are resilient, and the PIAA hasn’t heard the last of us.”
Abington 4-1-0 5
Owen J Roberts 3-2-1 6
#4 GARNET VALLEY 20, #13 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 4
The Jaguars raced out to a 10-2 halftime lead and never looked back on their way to the decisive second round win.
“Garnet jumped on us early and often after winning the majority of the draws,” coach Ellen Reilly said. “PW couldn’t capitalize on some opportunities that would have kept us in the game.
“Garnet continued to transition the ball well down the field after PW had chances, and they took the wind out of us. Garnet (Valley) was the better team today. (We) struggled defensively, in transition and on attack.”
Sophie Kolkka scored a pair of goals for the Colonials while senior Monica Dresnin had one goal and two assists. Ali Diamond added one goal.
Plymouth Whitemarsh closed out a successful season with a 17-3 record overall and a perfect 9-0 in SOL American Conference play en route to the program’s first title since 2003.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 2-2 4
Garnet Valley 10-10 20
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