SOL Girls’ Lacrosse District Preview (5-14-19)

Eleven SOL girls’ lacrosse teams will be in action this week in the District 1 2A & 3A Tournament. Check out the previews.

Class 3A
# 5 Abington (Opening round bye)

15-3 overall
9-0 SOL American Conference champion
Senior-laden team won second conference title in last three seasons
Notable wins over #18 North Penn (11-7), #21 Hatboro-Horsham (15-9), #19 Souderton (12-2), #10 CB West (8-7), #14 Upper Dublin (15-9)
Offense led by senior attackers Abby Thomas and Jamira Mashore. Thomas has totaled 25 goals in the team's last five games.
Midfield anchored by seniors Kaley Ehnow and Sam Simon, junior Grace Hinkle and sophomores Maddie Hinkle and Grace Gormley.
Veteran defense starts with senior goalie Ellie Hughes and supported by seniors Anna Joseph, Sam Raymond and Jill Poppert

Will face: Winner of #21 Hatboro-Horsham at #12 West Chester Rustin game

#24 Boyertown at #9 Pennsbury (4 p.m.)
Pennsbury

15-3 overall
5-3 SOL National
Notable wins over Class 3A #19 Souderton (11-7), #21 Hatboro-Horsham (11-10), Class 2A #3 New Hope-Solebury 22-17, #5 Upper Moreland (18-13), #12 Springfield Township (19-11), #16 Villa Joseph Marie (18-8)
Led by Maddy Spratt (69g, 60a), Emelie Curtis (47g, 19a), Maggie Golder (45g, 35a), Sarah Walcott (38g, 3a), Brooke Weaver (31g, 5a), Lexie Snyder (30g, 13a) and Darrien Furiness (24g, 6a)

Coach Shannon MacPherson says: “The girls have worked hard to get to this point in the season. We are a young team and lost the majority of our starting lineup from last season. The girls have really stepped up to make their mark on the program this season. Our midfielders have done a great job winning the ball and transitioning. Making it into districts is really exciting for our program. In the beginning of the season, our team had a goal to make it to playoffs, they worked hard every day and now here we are. The coaches are extremely proud of the girls for their success this season. Going into districts we need to continue to play the entire game, work with each other and stay pumped up. Tuesday will be the next challenge that we face and we are ready to go.”

Boyertown

8-9 overall
7-6 PAC Liberty
Notable wins over Class A #23 Upper Merion (14-8), Class 2A #6 Pottsgrove (15-8)
Split season series with Class A #15 Methacton (7-8, 11-8), #22 Perk Valley (16-12, 11-12)
Attack let by seniors Amanda Diachynsky, a first team All-PAC Liberty selection last year, and Ashley Dierolf.

#23 Upper Merion at #10 Central Bucks West (7 p.m.)
Central Bucks West

13-5 overall
7-1 SOL Continental tri-champions
Notable wins over No 7 Downingtown East (9-7), No 9 Pennsbury (12-11), No 13 Spring-Ford (14-11) and No 18 North Penn (15-10)
Senior Casey Reichwein (55g, 17a, 29 gb, 16cto) moved from defense to attack and has been terrific as a scorer and facilitator. She surpassed 400 career draw control wins earlier this year and has 177 on the season.
Also making important contributions are Kristen Rice, Emma Haring (45g, 21a, 56gb, 20cto), Maddy McGarry (27g, 20a, 34 dc, 37gb, 14cto), Julia Carey (28gb, 7cto), Paige Gilbert (10g, 53gb, 12cto), Shelby Hahn (22g, 6a, 25gb, 11cto).
Defense powered by Ryan Kelly (17gb, 20cto), Kiersten Mangin (16gb, 17cto), Izzy Treon (18gb, 29cto), and Shannen Roy (24gb, 24cto) Goalie Lauren Ring has been rock-solid all season.

Coach Rebecca Cartee Haring says: “I have been around many teams, as a player at all levels of play and as a coach from fifth/sixth graders all the way up to now high school varsity lacrosse, and I have never witnessed or been a part of the kind of culture that these players have created: they have embodied the ‘Win as One’ motto that they picked for the season. You hear the word ‘love’ a lot in our practices, during games and when the girls talk about how they feel about this team. And that feeling has propelled them to success this year. We certainly haven't been perfect in our play; we still make mistakes that make it clear we don't have players with loads of experience. We also don't match up on a paper line-up what other teams have in terms of lacrosse talent or D1 recruits, but the heart these players have and their dedication to never wanting to let each other down, I truly believe, is unmatched. If we find extended success in playoffs, that will be the reason why.”

Upper Merion

11-7 overall
6-7 PAC Frontier
Notable wins over Class 2A #9 Interboro (19-7), #11 Jenkintown (19-8), #12 Springfield Township (15-14)
Split with Class 2A #14 Pope John Paul II (12-7, 14-15)
Offense is potent, with the Vikings reaching double-digit goals 14 times.
Molly Wegand is an all-around offensive threat with more than 200 career points.
Sophomore Cat Merritt surpassed the 100 career goal mark this spring while Riley O'Malley went over 100 career assists.
Defense backed by goalie Anya Waller and senior Zoey Nikolaou has allowed fewer than 10 goals on nine occasions this spring.

Winner faces: No. 7 Downingtown East

#22 Perkiomen Valley at #11 Central Bucks East (3 p.m.)
Central Bucks East

12-6 overall
7-1 SOL National tri-champions
Notable wins over #9 Pennsbury (13-10), #10 Central Bucks West (10-9), Class 2A #5 Upper Moreland (14-6)
Attack is led by Riley Foreman (79g, 9a), who is closing in on 200 career goals. Kieran Fink, Courtney Mackenzie (21g, 8a), and Katie Powell (22 g, 7a) are also key contributors
In the midfield, Brigitte Bishop (66g) has surpassed the century mark in draw controls, and Quinn Ferry (19g, 49a) is approaching 100 assists. Morgan Eater also sees action in the midfield.
Goalie Fiona Henderson, who has 134 saves this season, has surpassed the 200-save mark playing behind defenders Ava Lisle, Grace Bethke, Sophia Buesing and Kendall Hudson.
Closed regular season with four straight wins

Coach Jordan Sanocki says: “I’m excited as a first-year coach coming in. The girls have really peaked at the right time at the end of the season, coming together, playing well together. I think they’re as ready as they can be. The seniors are ready to leave it all on the field. We’re having such a great season, we’re having so much fun, and we’re accomplishing a lot together, so they’re playing for their season not to end. I think they’re ready to go into (Tuesday) with a lot of heart, a lot of hustle and a lot of fight.”

Perkiomen Valley

10-8 overall
7-6 PAC Liberty
Notable wins over Class 3A #18 North Penn (12-7), #19 Souderton (14-12), #23 Upper Merion (18-9) Class 2A #6 Pottsgrove (17-4)
Split with Class 3A #15 Methacton (11-12, 15-6), #24 Boyertown (12-16, 12-11)
Senior Paige Tyson (midfield/attack) and Maggie Sell (defense/midfield) earned first team All-PAC Frontier honors last year. Tyson is a Virginia Tech commit and Sell will continue her career at East Stroudsburg. Kat Kelley, a University of Colorado commit, rounds out a standout midfield.
Sophomore Lauren Foley anchors the Vikings in goal

Winner faces: No. 6 Radnor

#19 Souderton at #14 Upper Dublin (6 p.m.)
Souderton

10-7 overall
6-3 SOL American
Notable wins over #14 Upper Dublin (15-13), #21 Hatboro-Horsham (11-10) and #24 Boyertown (13-12)
Offense is led by senior and Temple recruit Riley McGowan (83g, 18a, 48 dc), who has 225 career goals and 68 assists. Attack also paced by Sophia Sclafani (26g, 4a), Clark Trowbridge (12g, 10a) and Caroline Kelly (14g, 3a).
Midfield led by Randi Hess (41g, 8a, 50dc), Lauren Kenah (13g, 11a) and Kylie Norbeck (15 g, 6a)
Senior goalie Lauren Scott has more than 500 career saves and has been the leader of a defensive unit that had to rebuild at the start of the season.
Sophomores Halina Saydam and Sophia Ofalt, junior Mariah Bainbridge and senior Jamie Beardsley replaced four graduating seniors and have become a strong defensive unit in front of Scott.

Coach Nancy Offner says: “We are very excited to be going into postseason play. This was a rebuilding year for the team, but with strong leadership on the field from returning varsity players and a lot of talented and dedicated underclassmen, they have persevered against very strong opponents and earned their spot. We appreciate the talent of the teams we play and their competitiveness making us learn about our own game, how we need to adjust and what we need to do better. Each game has allowed us to grow as individual players and as a team.”

Upper Dublin

12-6 overall
6-3 SOL American
Notable wins over #15 Methacton (16-15), #17 Wissahickon (16-10), #21 Hatboro-Horsham 17-8, Class 2A #7 Gwynedd Mercy ] (11-8)
High-scoring attack led by junior Mack Moore (60g, 19a), who's surpassed 100 career goals, Julia Reardon (50g, 6a) and Jackie Rama (37g, 5a). Rama is also a strong presence taking draw controls.
Strong midfield anchored by senior Florida recruit Becky Browndorf (42g, 32a), Jenn McCarry (26g, 20a) and Allie Rock. Browndorf is an impact player defensively as well as the team's leading assist creator.
Defense led by goalie Riley Brady and backs Aidan Hopkins, Erin Eby, Lydia Casey and Maisie Hanson.

Coach Dee Cross says: “We know what to expect from a good Souderton team. They play solid defense and were able to score goals on us in transition. Our goalie faced a lot of shots the first time, so we need to buckle down on defense and work on limiting their shots. We also need to improve our shooting percentage and take better shots against a good Souderton goalie.”

Winner faces: No 3 Conestoga

#17 Wissahickon at #16 Unionville (7 p.m.)

Wissahickon

13-5 overall
6-3 SOL American
Notable wins over #19 Souderton (17-16 OT) and #21 Hatboro-Horsham (17-14)
Offense paced by sophomore attacker Sophia Chiodo-Ortiz (69g, 11a), who scored 100th career goal in regular-season finale.
Midfield led by seniors Sam Intrieri (Towson) and Kelly Dickson (St. Francis PA). Intrieri (80g, 19a) has 200 career goals. Dickson has 29 goals and 35 assists)
Emma Baker (22g, 7a), Brooke Berry (16g, 7a), Quinn Gaffey (12g, 10a) and Abby Degroat (19g, 1a) also are key contributors.
Senior Naomi Bram anchors an otherwise young defense. Freshman Madeline Murphy has been solid in goal all season.

Unionville

11-7 overall
Defending PIAA 3A state champion
Emma Malone is a top scoring threat, reaching 100 career goals this season.
Malone, Shannon Garvey and Madi Holt make up a formidable draw control group
Mina Scott and Riley Glackin are dynamic midfielders who can easily score or assist.
Goalie Megan Kirk is the rock for a defense that's been stout in Ches-Mont league play.
Wins over Class 3A #20 Kennett (7-6) and Class 2A #4 Bishop Shanahan (13-9).

Winner will face: No. 1 Harriton

#18 North Penn at #15 Methacton (7 p.m.)
North Penn

10-8 overall
7-1 SOL National Conference tri-champions
Notable wins over #9 Pennsbury (9-8), #11 CB East and #21 Hatboro-Horsham (11-6)
Went 10-4 after starting season 0-4.
Attack had to replace top two scorers from last year but rounded into balanced unit led by Lily Szilagyi (47 goals, 13 assists), Brooke Millevoi (11 goals) and Kristin Varilla (24 goals, 15 assists).
Midfielder Grace Sacchetti is a sparkplug for the Knights, making an impact on the draw control circle, scoring, passing and defensively. Sachetti has 31 goals and 27 assists this spring.
Emily Varilla (25 goals, 11 assists), Alli Lindsay (21 goals, 19 assists) and Casey Cavanaugh (16 goals) have been solid in the midfield.
Team anchored by defensive unit led by senior backer Shannon Haedrich, senior Morgan Dyck and goalie Ashley Lambert.
Captains Kristin Varilla, Shannon Haedrich, and Morgan Dyck provide leadership.

Coach Heather Mellow says: “We have a young squad and continue to improve with every game. After starting the season 0-4, we are very excited about how we ended the regular season, tied for the league title, and making into playoffs.”

Methacton

11-8 overall
8-5 PAC Liberty
Notable wins over #19 Souderton (12-7), #10 CB West (8-7), #13 Spring-Ford (11-9)
Team reliant on many underclassmen in all three phases of the field.
Juniors Sydney Tornetta and Mia Sheldon set pace in midfield as proficient scorers and passers.
Attack paced by Julia McCann, Delaney Smith, Alexa Gratz and Grace Shields.
Goalie Rachel O'Toole surpassed 400 career saves but missed a handful of late season games with an illness. Freshman Mackenzie Clark will if play if O'Toole is unable to.
Katy Benton and Reilly Smith anchor the defense in front of goal.

Winner faces: No 2 Garnet Valley

#12 Hatboro-Horsham at #12 West Chester Rustin (3:30 p.m.)
Hatboro-Horsham

11-7 overall
5-4 SOL American
Notable wins over Class 3A #10 Central Bucks West (10-9), #11 Central Bucks East (10-9), Class 2A #5 Upper Moreland (11-5), #12 Springfield Township (8-7)
Gabrielle Liott, who surpassed the 100-goal mark this season, Cam Ryan and Sophia Liott anchor the midfield. Audrey Leibfreid is a key on attack.
Boston University commit Arielle Hammer has been a standout in goal
Anchoring the defense in front of Hammer are Megan Acker, Lexi Gill, Sorrell Long, Jess Shaffer and Maggie O’Neil

West Chester Rustin

14-3 overall
Notable wins over Class 3A #11 Central Bucks East (11-10, #16 Unionville (11-7), #20 Kennett (16-8)
Attack led by High Point commit Ashley Chisholm, who entered the season with close to 200 goals.
Senior Blaze Cugini, a first team All-Ches-Mont last year, anchors the defense.
Senior Shannon Drakely and junior Emily Supple key the transition in the midfield

Winner faces: No. 5 Abington

Class 2A
#12 Springfield Township at #5 Upper Moreland (4 p.m.)
Upper Moreland

12-6 overall
6-3 SOL American
Notable wins over Class 3A #14 Upper Dublin (15-11), #17 Wissahickon (10-9), Class 2A #3 New Hope-Solebury (15-13), #6 Pottsgrove (19-17), #11 Jenkintown (17-9), #12 Springfield Township (17-9)
Leading the attack is Emma Meakim, who reached the 100-goal milestone in the final regular season game. She also has 96 assists. Megan O’Donnell also reached the 100-goal mark this season while Bryanna Gordon is approaching the milestone. Bella Guarenghi also contributes on attack.
Midfielder Moira Olexa has 73 draw controls to go along with 30 goals and 27 assists. Cassidy Hirsch has added 54 draw controls and 34 goals.
Defense is anchored by AbbyEllen Wood, Kayla Meachim, Maddy Zachwieja, Alexis Lamb and Kat Morrow.
Goalie Sarah Pickard, who has 131 saves, has turned away to 50 percent of the shots she has faced

Coach Kim Frantz says: “We were down a player (Megan O’Donnell), and we hit a rough patch late in the season, but we had an awesome practice. We seem to be jelling back together. The kids are super excited for the playoffs. Our single team goal from the beginning of the season was states. That goal is still alive, and they’re focusing on that right now.”

Springfield Township

8-9 overall
2-7 SOL American
Notable wins over Class 2A #3 New Hope-Solebury (17-16), #11 Jenkintown (20-11)
Sophomore Madison Yoder leads the Spartans with 80 goals, 74 draw controls, 20 ground balls and four caused turnovers.
Sophomore Molly McGoldrick anchors the defense with 25 caused turnovers and 31 ground balls. Senior Gracie Woron (30gb, 5cto) also is a contributor.
Emily Smith (42g, 48dc, 10a, 11cto, 23gb), Ella Marino (33g, 25dc, 15gb, 7a, 3cto) and Emily Walsh (32g, 42dc, 13gb, 6cto, 5a) also play key roles.
Anchoring the Spartans in goal is senior Annie Ryan, who has 116 saves.
Fell to Upper Moreland in regular season meeting on April 24 (17-9)

Coach Maggie Canavan says: We are extremely excited to be back in the postseason. It is a testament to the girls’ hard work and perseverance over the season. We look forward to a great league match up against Upper Moreland.”