Central Bucks West won a double overtime thriller in Tuesday’s opening round of the PIAA 3A State Tournament. (Photos provided courtesy of CB West field hockey)
PIAA 3A opening round
#1-7 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 2, #3-1 LOWER DAUPHIN 1 (2 OT)
Aida Ierubino – who scored the game-winner in Tuesday night’s double overtime thriller – was in still in shock several hours after her team’s dramatic win.
“I can’t believe we just beat Lower Dauphin,” the Bucks’ junior captain said. “I’m just super excited of how far this team has come. My freshman year – the year before, they didn’t even get to districts, so it’s just really cool to see how far the program has come, and I’m really proud of how everyone played because everyone worked their butts off which is awesome.”
“We had played Lower Dauphin my freshman year, and we lost (3-1), and we wanted to avenge ourselves because we know that we’re a great team. We knew we could beat them. Going into it, everyone was super excited for the game, and when we were out on the field, I thought we played the best I’ve seen our team play.”
Anything less would not have been enough against a Lower Dauphin squad that brought a 19-1 record into Tuesday’s game and has been a perennial state power – the Falcons went on to win the PIAA 3A state championship two years ago after defeating West.
“Lower Dauphin knocked me out of my first state final,” said West coach Lori Ierubino, who starred for Council Rock during her high school playing days. “They beat me my junior year.”
The Bucks won it when Ierubino – with five minutes remaining in the second OT – caught up to a long pass from teammate Eve Damsker and turned it into the game-winner.
“Before the second overtime started, me and Kendra (Pitts) looked at each other and said, ‘We are not letting this go to anything past overtime. We are all exhausted – we want to go home. This is not going any further,’” Ierubino said. “It’s all kind of a blur. Eve sent a long ball – I was exhausted, but I just sprinted up and got it. I went up the sideline, I pulled past the goalie – I kind of just threw the ball towards the cage because I saw Calista (Boos) sprint up the field. I meant to pass to her, but it went in the cage, so it was over.
“We kind of stood there for a second and stared at each other – we couldn’t believe it just happened. I feel like the whole game was just breakaways back and forth. Eve just sent a perfect ball, I ran onto it. I honestly don’t know how Calista got there because everyone was so far behind. They had one defender and the goalkeeper, and we just found the back of the net.”
Earlier in the game, in the third quarter, the Bucks took a 1-0 lead when senior Calista Boos, a Wake Forest recruit, turned a pass from Lucy Smith into a goal during corner play. The Bucks had a chance to extend their lead in the fourth quarter but saw their penalty stroke turned away, and the Falcons knotted the score with 62 seconds remaining in regulation, setting the stage for overtime.
Tuesday’s game was not devoid of action as the two teams combined for 33 shots – 18 by West and 15 by Lower Dauphin. Playing a starring role in the win was a West defense anchored by goalie Kendra Pitts (9 saves). Junior Eve Damsker had a pair of defensive saves, and sophomore Laney Hall had one defensive save. In addition to Pitts, Damsker and Hall, sophomore Heidi Schoenleber and sophomore Margo Trask were also part of West’s stingy defense.
“Our defense really stepped up,” Aida Ierubino said. “They had an amazing game. I don’t even know how Kendra (Pitts) made the saves that she did as a goalkeeper. I have honestly never seen such amazing saves. They got a lot of shots, but we had quick clears. We were just lights out today, which was really cool.”
“They were just such a unit today,” coach Ierubino said.
And the end result was one of the program’s biggest wins in recent memory.
Scoring Summary
First quarter – No score
Second quarter – No score
Third quarter
Calista Boos (CBW) from Lucy Smith 5:48
Fourth quarter
Chase Strohm (LD) from Lizzie Day 1:02
First overtime – No score
Second overtime
Aida Ierubino (CBW) from Eve Damsker 5:01
By the numbers:
Shots: CBW 18, LD 15; Penalty corners: CBW 7, LD 12
Saves: Kendra Pitts (CBW) 9; Defensive saves: Eve Damsker 2, Laney Hall.
Central Bucks West coach Lori Ierubino on the game: “We had a really good vibe going into this game. We had some kids that had been there before, and we’re like – what’s the point of being nervous about it
because then you lose and you sort of self-actualize, so they just went in and they were like – ‘Let’s just do this together. We’ve had an awesome season. We wanted to get here, so it’s not a burden. Let’s take advantage of it.’
“I thought Lower Dauphin came out really strong. They started with the ball, and we were on our heels a little bit, but we made some big saves and started gaining some momentum. They were all just so focused. I could see it in their faces. It was so awesome, and I’m so happy for them.
“It doesn’t always work out. Sometimes you outplay someone and you lose, or you don’t play well and you win. When it went to double overtime, I thought for sure they’d be gassed, and they just had this adrenaline. They were not going to quit. It was awesome. It was just such a great night. We’re going to take a rest and get right back at it.”
CB West junior captain Aida Ierubino:
–On bouncing back after a late goal by the Falcons: “They scored literally with a minute left. It was about to end. Throughout the game, we had so many opportunities – we had a missed stroke. We wanted to win so bad, and even though they scored, it didn’t even faze us, honestly. We just felt as if we were still winning, and we just wanted to score and win. Everyone was on the same page – no one gave up. It was just a hard-fought, gritty win.”
–On a strong Lower Dauphin squad: “Their team is amazing, There were so many shots. They were great competition. I just thought we really came to play today, and it was really awesome to see and be playing in it. I’m just so proud of us.”
Up next: Central Bucks West (20-4, 10-0 SOL) will face District 11 runner-up Easton in Saturday’s quarterfinal round at a time and place to be determined. In an opening round game, Easton defeated District 1’s third place team, Boyertown, 3-2.
Central Bucks West 0-0-1-0-0-1 2
Lower Dauphin 0-0-0-1-0-0 1
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