Four SOL girls’ lacrosse teams will be in action Thursday in the second round of the District One 3A Tournament.
Abington won a championship this season, a fact that was all but forgotten after the Ghosts earned an emotional overtime win over defending conference champion Plymouth Whitemarsh on April 5.
“It means a lot to us, just because the past two years we’ve come so close,” senior Sam McGee said. “I feel as though we felt like we won it after PW because of how crazy that game was. We were down a player for 30 minutes or something crazy like that.
“You can’t rule out any teams in our league because on any day anyone can win any game, but right after we won (the PW game), we were like, ‘Okay playoffs. Okay next game, next game.’”
“It certainly was a playoff atmosphere,” coach Amanda Kammes said of the PW contest. “The kids had accomplished what we fell short on last year, so it was difficult for our staff to keep them focused. It’s a big credit to the senior class who really bought in a year ago and have had that goal to win the conference since we lost to PW a year ago.”
The Ghosts are also driven by memories of last year’s second round playoff loss to Owen J. Roberts in overtime.
“We kind of are using that, and we don’t want to have that feeling at all,” McGee said.
“As excited as the kids were to win the conference, I think all of their thoughts were already a couple weeks down the road to playoff time,” Kammes said. “They’re hungry. More than not winning the conference last year what stings the most for them is the loss to Owen J in the second round of districts.
“To not only win our conference but remain undefeated in conference and also finish out the year on a high note with beating Radnor going into playoffs – I think we’re in a really good place right now.”
******
Although the Ghosts returned a strong nucleus from last year’s successful squad, there was still some serious rebuilding work to be done this season.
“I cannot say enough about my team,” McGee said. “Everybody has really stepped up. I think it took us a little bit longer to get to the point we are now.
“We lost a lot of our midfield, and we’re really young this year. We have a lot of sophomores and a couple of freshmen who get time in games and have to play consistently. That’s a little different than last year when it was 99 percent juniors and seniors.
With the graduation of several key midfielders from last year’s successful squad, McGee – who scored 85 goals as a junior – found herself the focal point of opposing defenses, and face guarding the All-American has become all but a given for opponents hoping to contain the Ghosts.
“I was face guarded last year towards the end of the season, and I struggled then too,” McGee said. “At the beginning of the season this year, I was really struggling with it.
“It was something that was still fairly new to me. It’s weird going from playing normal lacrosse to having to adapt your whole game. I definitely have found the right balance and how to deal with it. In a way, it sometimes makes the game easier. It opens things up.”
Kammes tipped her hat to her senior captain.
“She was such a prolific scorer last year, and there was certainly a little bit of an adjustment period this year,” the Ghosts’ coach said. “Early in the year, she struggled, and that role was something she had to learn. I think she’s done a really good job and handled it really gracefully.
“Now we welcome teams face guarding her. That’s what we’ve come to expect, and we operate really well under those circumstances. Even though she’s been face guarded every game, she’s still putting points on the board."
McGee had just one goal in the Ghosts’ overtime win over Radnor in their regular season finale. The senior captain was just fine with that.
“Casey (McCallister) had three goals, Lindsay Baer had one, and Kaley Ehnow got like seven draw controls or something crazy like that,” said McGee. “It’s really just become such a team effort, and everybody has really stepped up.”
The Ghosts are hoping the Radnor win will catapult their team to a successful playoff run.
“Beating Radnor was just huge,” Kammes said. “It’s the second year in a row we beat a team right before playoff time that was in the state championship game the year prior.
“It was a great game. They played a different kind of defense against us that we had loosely talked about, but it certainly was a little bit of a curve ball. It was cool to see our group adjust to that, and it shows how far we’ve come. We have a group right now is starting to be very patient and have a high level of lacrosse IQ and is really able to manage games well on their own, which is where you want them to be. You should be playing your best lacrosse now, and I think we are.”
CLASS 3A
#17 DOWNINGTOWN EAST at #1 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST (Thursday, 7 p.m.)
(Winner will face the winner of #8 Upper Dublin vs. #9 Garnet Valley)
Central Bucks West
- 17-1 overall
- 9-0 SOL National Conference champions
- Attack is led by Bryn Boylan (56 goals, 22 assists), Dani Dundas (55 goals, 35 assists) and Finley Ueland (49 goals, 14 assists).
- Boylan also leads defense with 27 caused turnovers while Meghan Darcy and Maddie Maio have 19 each. Goalie Lauren Devlin has a save percentage of over 50 percent.
- Regular season wins over #7 Abington (8-7), #10 Central Bucks South (11-8), #12 Pennridge (16-11), #15 Central Bucks East (17-0), #17 Downingtown East (6-1), #18 Great Valley (16-10), #19 Souderton (19-1), #21 Methacton (17-6) and #22 Hatboro-Horsham (14-2).
- Only loss came at the hands #11 Strath Haven (7-8) in the final game of the regular season.
How they got here: First round bye.
Downingtown East
- 13-6 overall
- 9-3 Ches-Mont League tied for fourth place behind WC Rustin, Unionville and Great Valley
- Led by sophomore Livi Lawton, a UNC commit.
- Lost to Central Bucks West 6-1 in regular season meeting on May 6
- Regular season wins over Class AA #1 Villa Maria (9-7), #18 Great Valley (11-8), #23 Downingtown West (12-11) and #24 West Chester Henderson (11-7)
How they got here: Downingtown East defeated #16 Boyertown 14-12, outscoring the Bears 11-5 in the second half. Livi Lawton led the way with five goals and Emily Wurzel added a hat trick.
#10 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH at #7 ABINGTON (Thursday, 7 p.m.)
(Winner will face the winner of #2 Conestoga vs. #18 Great Valley)
Abington
- 14-4 SOL
- 9-0 SOL American Conference champions
- Led by All-American Sam McGee, who has 56 goals (243 career goals), nine assists and 46 draw controls.
- Casey McCallister has 33 goals and 11 assists, and Lindsay Baer has 26 goals and 15 assists. Kaley Ehnow (40 draw controls) and Cathy Staerk (42 draw controls) are also forces on the draw.
- Defensively, Hecka Morris, Staerk and Maddie Sjoholm each have 13 caused turnovers, and goalie Kiki Brasher has 100 saves this season.
- Regular season wins over Class AA #3 Radnor (8-7 OT), #8 Upper Dublin (11-10), #19 Souderton (9-7) and #22 Hatboro-Horsham (9-7)
How they got here First round bye.
Central Bucks South
- 15-3 overall
- 6-2 SOL National Conference tied for second with CB East & Pennridge behind CB West
- Led by offensively by Kasey Dietzel (69 goals, 42 assists), Anna Green (51 goals, 28 assists) and Kristen Berntsen (52 goals, 28 assists). Courtney Taylor (34 goals, 37 assists) leads the defense with 68 caused turnovers.
- Regular season wins over #15 Central Bucks East (11-3) and Class AA #2 Gwynedd Mercy (8-7)
How they got here: Central Bucks South trailed by three in the first half but rallied to defeat #23 Downingtown West 7-6 in Tuesday’ opening round. Kasey Dietzel scored three goals and added two assists. Goalie Laura Robinson had 12 saves.
#9 GARNET VALLEY at #8 UPPER DUBLIN (Thursday, 5 p.m.)
(Winner will face winner of #1 Central Bucks West vs. #17 Downingtown East)
Upper Dublin
- 13-4 overall
- 8-1 SOL American Conference second place behind Abington
- Junior Lindsey Schreiber leads the Cards with 44 goals and 12 assists and also has 50 ground balls. Freshman Jackie Rama has 42 goals and 23 assists to go along with 85 draw controls.
- Senior Shannon Reape leads the defense and is the captain while juniors Becky Browndorf and Caroline Wall, along with Schreiber, run the midfield and are key at both ends of the field.
- Regular season wins over #12 Pennridge (11-9), #19 Souderton (10-8) and #22 Hatboro-Horsham (14-9)
How they got here: First round bye
Garnet Valley
- 14-5 overall
- 7-4 Central League
- Led by Towson commit Kamryn McNeal
- Regular season wins over #3 Owen J Roberts (14-6), #6 Unionville (12-10), #17 Downingtown East (19-8) and #18 Great Valley (15-10).
- Coached by Hatboro-Horsham alum Jenny Purvis
How they got here: Garnet Valley crushed #24 West Chester Henderson 17-5 in an opening round game. Kamryn McNeal and Cameron Faith both scored three goals in a contest that pitted sister versus sister on the coaching sidelines. Jenny Purvis guided the Jaguars to the win over a Henderson squad that is coached by younger sister Lauren Purvis. Both are Hatboro-Horsham graduates.
About the Author
