Check out the results for SOL girls’ lacrosse teams in action Thursday. To view photos of the Abington/North Penn game, please visit the Photo Gallery…CLICK HERE.
ABINGTON 10, NORTH PENN 7
Rachel Morris spent the second half of Thursday’s season opener tormenting the Maidens with one crease roll after another, finding the net for three goals. Each one looked like a rerun of the one before it as Morris, who also scored in the first half, connected on all four of her shots in the game – all on crease rolls.
“This year we’re really working on trying to get a team attack, not as many 1v1s and just a single person scoring,” said Morris, who also was credited with an assist and two ground balls. “We’re trying to get a lot more people to score.
“With people working together, people are getting open. We had a lot of different scorers this game, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
Morris was just one key to a game that saw the Ghosts fall behind 3-0 after back-to-back-to-back goals by Bri O’Donnell, Jenn DeLongis and Chloe Novak. The tide began to shift after Abington coach Amanda Kammes called a timeout.
“I’m new here, and I’m changing more than just what we’re doing on the field,” the Ghosts’ first-year coach said. “I think part of that change was reflected in the fact that we had some things to take care of off the field today, and I don’t think we showed up quite ready to go mentally.
“We came out of that timeout – our whole demeanor was a little bit different. We did one possession at a time, we took care of the ball, we started possessing, and some of our upperclassmen did a better job of leading like Sam McGee and Rachel Morris, and that was the glue that got our engine going.”
The Ghosts came back to make it a 3-2 game after Morris found McGee for a goal, but the Maidens led 5-2 after back-to-back goals by O’Donnell, who scored four goals.
With 4:23 remaining in the half, McGee – despite taking a hit that resulted in a card for the Maidens – found the net after a gritty effort, and when Morris scored two minutes later, the Ghosts trailed by just one. Lindsay Baer’s free position goal with 14 seconds remaining sent the two teams into halftime deadlocked 5-5.
“When coach pulled us together for the timeout – we needed a spark, and once that happens, everyone gets it together and gets in their head – ‘hey, we have to bump up the energy,’” Morris said.
A powerful shot by McGee with an assist from Casey McCallister gave the Ghosts their first lead early in the second half. Back-to-back goals by Morris and McCallister in a 90-second span put the Ghosts on top 8-5.
“I think it was just a mindset,” said McGee of the Ghosts’ turnaround. “We came in really slow, we took a timeout, got a few defensive turnovers, and we said – ‘We have to do it one goal at a time. We need to make it happen.’
“It was the first game of the season – new coaches, new freshmen, new, new new. Everything is new. We know a lot of people on (North Penn). In past years, it’s been a pretty big rivalry. I think there were some nerves, but they were the good kind. We were excited.”
A goal by Jenn DeLongis pulled the Maidens to within two, but that’s as close as they would get as Morris answered with back-to-back goals to put the Ghosts on top by four before O’Donnell scored a late goal for the 10-7 final.
“They started putting things together,” North Penn coach Heather Mellow said of the Ghosts. “We stopped playing relaxed, we stopped playing fun lacrosse, and we were just making simple mistakes.
“Defensively, we made mistakes, and they picked up on it, and they found their rhythm. It was a hard game to open up with. I knew they were going to be a tough team to beat, but I was proud of the girls and how they came out and gave Abington a run for their money. If we had put a couple of more things together, it could have been a different game.”
All but lost in the shuffle was the performance of the Ghosts’ defense during the final 30 minutes that saw the Ghosts outscore the Maidens 8-2.
“We’re working through some growing pains,” Kammes said. “We have some new faces back there. We started a couple of freshmen today, and no doubt, they had those first game jitters.
“I felt like the tide started changing when we started looking to do the little things – get the knockdown, be tighter on the cutter ‘D,’ have each other’s backs on the back side slide, and that’s when things started changing. Honestly, our defensive effort is what fueled our attack. It wasn’t the opposite way around. The ‘D’ was the heart of the lion today, and they’re the ones that started getting us back in the game.”
Abington (1-0) will host Haverford in a non-league game on Tuesday (3:30 p.m.), and North Penn (0-1) will be on the road at Spring-Ford for a 5:30 p.m. contest.
Abington 5-5 10
North Penn 5-2 7
AGNES IRWIN 18, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 7
The Bucks opened their season by hosting an Agnes Irwin squad that is ranked seventh in USA Today’s Super 25. Their visitors opened up an 11-4 halftime lead on their way to the win, and things can only get easier for the Bucks after this one.
Finley Ueland had a big day on attack, finishing with four goals, and Casey Reichwein added a hat trick. Bryn Boylan and Olivia Fitzgerald each contributed an assist.
West goalie Lauren Devlin was credited with 10 saves.
Central Bucks West (0-1) will host Wissahickon in an SOL non-league battle on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Agnes Irwin 11-7 18
Central Bucks West 4-3 7
GARNET VALLEY 23, HATBORO-HORSHAM 6
Syd Rausa and Carly Daley each connected for the hat trick, but the Hatters had no answer for the high-powered Jaguars. The defending state champions opened up a 15-4 halftime lead and rolled to the decisive win.
Kam McNeal (four goals, four assists) and Emily Mathewson (four goals, two assists) led the Jaguars, who received scoring from 11 different players.
Hatboro-Horsham (0-1) will travel to North Penn for a non-league game on Wednesday at 3:45 p.m.
Hatboro-Horsham 4-2 6
Garnet Valley 15-8 23
INTERBORO 20, NORRISTOWN 2
Norristown 1-1 2
Interboro 13-7 20
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