American Conference
Upper Moreland 11, Norristown 10 (OT)
Freshman Chelsea Mills scored at the 1:05 mark in the first overtime, propelling the Golden Bears to their first win of the season on Tuesday. The win avenged a 15-12 loss to the Eagles earlier in the season.
“The girls were making passes and working together,” Upper Moreland coach Karen Grossi said. “Their passes were working, and they were getting themselves open.
“Norristown has three really fast girls – Beverly (Pate), Precious (Evans) and Charmaze (Banks), and this time instead of letting them run by us, our girls said, ‘Let’s try and stop them.’ They were setting up some good double teams throughout the midfield, and that really helped us get the ball or get the ball back if we lost it. I think the double teams were probably the biggest thing.”
Mills finished the day with two goals and one assist, but her contributions went beyond the scoring column.
“She was awesome,” Grossi said. “She did a nice job with the draw and with the groundballs.”
Alexa Schuck led the Golden Bears’ attack with four goals. Maddie Mauro had two goals and one assist, and Sarah Reice had one goal and one assist. Deanna Schwartz and Sami Wojciechowski both added one goal. Kathryn Brunner had three assists.
“Maddie Mauro was big time with the double teams and did a really nice job,” Grossi said.
For the Eagles, Beverly Pate scored five goals, and Precious Evans connected for the hat trick. Daniele Douglas and Abigail Swan each had one goal. Janelle Scruggs had one assist.
The Eagles actually won the draw to open the first three-minute OT period, but the Golden Bears came up with a ground ball that led to the game winner.
“This means everything,” Grossi said of the win. “Their goal for the year was – we need to get a win. They got the win, and hopefully, they will realize they can do it, so they’ll start stepping up because they go into a lot of these games scared.
“They’re trying, but I don’t think they realize what they’re really capable of.”
Upper Moreland goalie Emma Joyce turned away 10 shots while Norristown’s Amie Adame had nine saves.
“Emma Joyce came up with some big saves in goal, but overall, it was a team effort,” Grossi said.
The Eagles are 1-7 overall and in the league while Upper Moreland improved to 1-5 in league play (1-8 overall).
Cheltenham 7, Upper Merion 6
The Lady Panthers sprinted to a 6-1 halftime lead and then withstood a furious second-half comeback by the Vikings to earn the big win. Tuesday’s win avenged an early-season 19-10 loss at the hands of the Vikings.
“We played much more patient and controlled today,” Cheltenham coach Dave Burton said. “We played really within ourselves. It was probably the best game we have played this year.
“The girls had very few turnovers, and they were patient on offense. The biggest difference today was our defense. We played such tough defense from end to end. We re-defended as well as we have all year. I don’t know how many shots they took in the first half, but they only had one goal at halftime. We denied the eight a lot. We did a really good job of keeping the cutters from going in the eight.
“We did things we haven’t been doing all year. We controlled the draw. We won the groundballs. We did all the little things we talk about every game. It’s what I have been telling them – they’re better than what they’ve played all year. I really believe that. I don’t know if they believed it, but I think today they saw a glimpse of it.”
Down but not out, the Vikings outscored the Lady Panthers 5-1 in the second half.
“In the second half, we got a little sloppy,” Burton said. “We made some very poor decisions and got back on our heels a little bit, and they got back in the game.
“To their credit, they did not come out flat the second half. They kept playing hard, and they cut it to one goal.”
Burton lauded the standout efforts of siblings Sammie McManus and Rachel McManus as well as his deep defense – Lauren Freeman, Emily Lebovitz and Steena Chantharath.
“They did such a great job today,” Burton said. “Madison Brunk played really well also.”
Brunk led the attack with three goals and two assists. Olivia Dudo had two goals and two assists. Sammie McManus and Allison Hawkins both added single goals to close out the scoring.
“This win was tremendously important for the girls,” Burton said. “We played good teams and didn’t play well and teams we could have and should have beaten and didn’t play well against them.
“I think it shows a lot of character to get beat as bad as they did the first time we played them and to come back and play as well as we did today with so much determination and heart. They put a good 50 minutes together.
“It’s great for the rest of the season because they realize what they’re capable of. It’s one thing to talk about it, and it’s another thing for it to come to fruition, and I think that’s the beauty of this game today. It’s great for their confidence, and it bodes well for the rest of the season. I was so proud of them. I told them after the game – had we lost, I would have been equally proud.”
For the Vikings, Amanda McAteer contributed two goals and one assist. Mel Ryan, Casey Griffith, Liz Botto and Dominique Gambone each added one goal.
Upper Dublin 15, Plymouth Whitemarsh 2
Kelly Cross scored four goals and contributed five assists, and teammate Brooke Callahan had a hand in seven goals, contributing three goals and four assists. Kaley Weinstein added the hat trick. Emily Hitchings scored two goals and had an assist while Taylor D’Ginto, Rachel DiFrangia and Anna Trenini each added one goal.
For the Colonials, Sammi Heller and Amy Fink each scored a goal.
Upper Dublin goalie Anna Lauer turned away two shots while her counterpart, Jordyn Dumasky, had nine saves.
Continental Conference
Central Bucks East 14, Central Bucks West 9
Madie Steuber might only be a sophomore, but she certainly did her part to ensure that CB East’s Senior Night celebration would be a good one. The Patriots’ sophomore goalie turned away 14 shots, many in a pivotal second half that saw the Patriots outscore the Bucks 8-3 after the neighboring rivals battled to a 6-6 halftime tie.
“She really exploded in the second half,” East coach Megan Macauley said. “She adjusted and that just drove the defense.
“The defense really started to connect and became more aggressive than they had been. One of the hardest things this season has been to stop the fast break situations, and I felt like they did that tonight.”
Senior Jamie Burns contributed four goals and three assists to lead East’s attack.
“Jamie had a great game,” Macauley said. “Carrie Gillen really came through in key points for us. Carolyn Remmey had three goals, and Sam Axenroth played well.
“Katt Miller was phenomenal on the draws. Possessions are vital, and we have not had any luck on the draw, no matter what we did in the past games. She has been working on her technique, and that’s really enhanced our game.”
Carrie Gillen and Caroline Remmey each added the hat trick. Remmey also had a pair of assists. Marissa Glatt and Lauren Wicks both had two goals to close out the scoring for East.
“It was a great win,” Macauley said. “They really stepped up, and it was nice because it was our Senior Night. I changed up the lineup and started all the seniors at the beginning.
“It was way too close in the first half. We needed to make changes and adjust, and we did. They really pulled through.”
For the Bucks, Elena Romesburg scored four goals while Tara Shugars had two goals. Sarah Gebre and Steph Cooper each added one goal.
North Penn 20, Central Bucks South 3
What a difference 22 days came make.
In the April 4 meeting between the two teams, the Titans led for the better part of 50 minutes before the Maidens rallied for a 10-8 win. On Tuesday, the Maidens seized early control of their game against the Titans and never looked back.
“There was a stretch in the middle of the season where we weren’t winning games by a lot, and we just kept saying, ‘A win is a win,’” Maiden coach Jami Wilus said. “We have always told them we wanted them to be playing their best lacrosse at the end of the season, so it seems to have come full circle.
“We started off the season strong and then had a little lull in the middle of the season. Ever since our Archbishop Wood game, I feel as though we’ve been playing with a greater sense of urgency.”
The Maidens jumped out to a 12-3 halftime lead and then shut out the Titans in the second half on their way to the big win.
“Honestly, I think that our girls were a lot more focused,” Wilus said. “We capitalized on our shots at the beginning of the game.
“At one point, it was 3-2, and we went on a pretty big scoring run. We were able to control the draws and the groundballs. We told the girls we didn’t want empty possessions, and every time we were down on the offensive end, we were getting good shots off and capitalizing on them and also our eight-meters.”
Rachel Shaw led the Maidens with five goals and two assists, and Steph Knauer - who was sidelined with an ankle injury since that early season CB South game - celebrated her return to the lineup by contributing four goals and one assist.
Brenda McDermott and Kaitlin Suzuki both contributed the hat trick. McDermott also had three assists and Suzuki had one assist. Macie Hauck added two goals and one assist while Garrie Grenfell (one assist), Laura Delongis and Tara Rogers each scored one goal. Maddy Humphrey and Aubrie Stoufer both had an assist.
It was, according to Wilus, a team effort.
“I don’t feel like you can shut down one player,” the Maidens’ coach said. “In years past, we had an Abbie Hartman or Lauren McDermott where they were our leading scorers and everyone else was secondary.
“This year, on any given day, we can have different players scoring five goals. It’s given us a greater sense of balance on the attack. When we play someone, they can’t just focus on one player.”
In goal for the Maidens, sophomore Jenna Stover turned away seven shots, and teammate Lauren Smith was credited with four saves.
The Maidens held a 31-10 advantage in shots.
Hatboro-Horsham 18, Pennridge 10
The Rams battled the Hatters to an 8-8 halftime tie and still trailed by only one (9-8) with 18 minutes remaining when the Hatters lost junior Courtnee Daley to a yellow card for the remainder of the game. The Hatters picked up the slack in her absence, outscoring the Rams 9-2 the rest of the way.
Nicole Beck led the way with five goals and two assists, and Julie McKay had four goals and one assist. Contributing two goals were Daley (one assist), Lizzy Carr (two assists) and Rachel Rausa. Caroline Hagan (two assists), Laura Cresta and Katie McKay each added one goal.
In goal, Jackie Giovinazzo turned away nine shots for the Hatters.
- Log in to post comments
0
