#8 North Penn 21, #25 West Chester East 7
Seven days without a lacrosse game is apparently much too long for the Maidens, who came out of the gate on fire in Tuesday’s district opener.
By halftime, the Maidens led 14-1, and the mercy rule was in effect.
“I think we were really excited to play today because we haven’t played any games in a while,” senior captain Macie Hauck said. “We took that week of practice, and we practiced hard for this game.“We knew it was going to be tough, and we knew it was a single elimination. As a team, we all played very strong today and played very well.”
Hauck had a hand in nine goals to lead the Maidens, scoring seven and assisting on two others. Junior Brenda McDermott also had seven goals for the high-flying Maidens. Rachel Shaw added the hat trick, and Kaitlin Suzuki (one assist), Garrie Grenfell (one assist), Steph Knauer and Aubrie Stouffer each added single goals. Maddy Humphrey and Tara Rogers both had an assist.
“We came up big offensively,” coach Jami Wilus said. “We were able to control the draws in the first half, and out of 14 possible draws, we had 11 draw controls.
“Our offense was really clicking, and we were able to get a good lead. We knew they would come back because we know they’re a second-half team.”
East did score six second-half goals, but by that time, the outcome had long since been decided.“I felt we played really good defense,” Wilus said. “People I had talked to said that (East) never gives up. They’re a team that might start off slow, but they came out of halftime and scored a couple of goals.
“We took a timeout, regrouped and put some double teams on the ball.”
Sophomore Jenna Stover was credited with seven saves in goal for the Maidens.
The eighth-seeded Maidens will host the ninth-seeded Flying Cardinals in an all-SOL showdown on Thursday.
“Honestly, we don’t know really much about them,” Hauck said. “They’re not in our league, and we don’t play them. We know they’re a very good team. It’s a huge game.
#9 Upper Dublin 12, #24 Spring-Ford 9
Kelly Cross scored nine goals and assisted on one another in a superb individual effort to lead the Flying Cardinals to the big win.
“I actually didn’t realize I scored that many,” the junior standout said. “It was just sort of this confidence today – I knew that my team was trusting in me, and after every goal, people would come up to me and say, ‘Keep going. Keep going in.’ That’s what I was able to do.”
In truth, Cross was simply following her coach’s instructions.“They were playing pressure defense out, so the rule is – if you can take the girl one-on-one, do it,” coach Dee Cross said. “For most of the season, we’ve been holding the girls back because we’ve been winning by so much, so they’re not used to that, and then they feel bad that they’re being ball hogs.
“I said to them, ‘This is a playoff game. We have to win this game. I don’t care who scores.’ They just kept coming out on her, and Kelly just kept going to goal. That helped us to get a big lead, and we settled down after that.”
The Flying Cardinals sprinted to a 9-3 halftime lead.
“Getting off to a big lead at the start definitely provides us with a cushion, so we’re able to control the ball and settle things down and play our game,” Kelly Cross said. “I think it was all about confidence.
“Once we got the confidence that we needed we were able to make the shots and complete the passes that we needed to. It was all about getting those first few goals and getting the confidence and trusting each other.”
Upper Dublin went on to open up a 12-4 lead before the Rams closed out the game with a 5-0 run, scoring four goals in a four-minute span late in the game.
“We had a complete meltdown at the end of the game,” coach Cross said. “We weren’t getting the draw control at the end, and we just were sloppy with the ball.
“We would get a nice check, and we wouldn’t pick up the ball. We would have a nice double team, and we wouldn’t pick it up. We were rushing things. I called a timeout and said, ‘We are winning this game. You are in control of this game.’ I can’t explain it. We did enough to win – we came out strong, but I’m hoping we got this out of our system.”
Although she would have liked a smoother ending, Cross was pleased with her team’s performance.
“We controlled at the beginning of the game, and we were all over the field double teaming, coming up with the ball,” the Flying Cardinals’ coach said. “It was really about ball control.
“A couple of calls didn’t go our way that resulted in goals, but you have to recover. The game is all about momentum shifts. You could see the looks on their faces – they were frustrated and happy at the same time, and that’s good because they know that we could do better.
“For a junior team, they’re all learning, and this can only help us. I’m happy with the way they did not give up and they were able to pull it together. We stalled the ball the last few minutes, and we had great passes and great ball control.”
Brooke Callahan contributed two goals and three assists for the Flying Cardinals, and Michele DeVincent added a goal. Taylor D’Ginto contributed an assist.
The Flying Cardinals will travel to North Penn on Thursday for a quarterfinal showdown against the Maidens.
“It’s definitely fun to face a big competitor like that,” Kelly Cross said. “Everyone always hears about North Penn being this powerhouse, so it’s definitely going to be a challenge, but hopefully, we’ll be able to step up our game.”
“I know North Penn has a lot of talent,” coach Cross added. “And we can’t afford the mistakes we made today, that’s for sure.”
#11 Council Rock North 12, #22 Abington 5
Kara Magley knew she was a marked woman going into Tuesday’s opening round game against Abington. The junior star was unfazed.
“For me, I just kind of play to have fun,” she said. “I try not to let anything get in my way.
“When something like that happens, I just work harder to get past the defender or work harder to get open for my teammates. When I get marked like that, it kind of gives me a boost to work harder.”
Magley – who contributed seven goals and two assists in an early-season 15-7 win over Abington – matched those numbers this time around, scoring seven goals and handing out two assists.“Kara has seen about everything,” co-coach Pat Toner said. “The first 30 seconds she was down on the ground, and she was just beat up. It’s not the style I like to see, but I guess the motive today was to be physical.
“The thing that impressed me the most today – this is the third time Kara has been pushed around and physically shoved, and all three times she responded, especially today. She was face guarded, marked, double teamed, and she scored seven goals and had two assists. She was not going to be stopped. To watch it was unreal. I’m really glad she’s on my team because I would not want to play against her.”
According to Toner, the transformation in Magley from last year to this year has been remarkable.
“When we need someone to step up, her and Lindsay Rheiner stepped up when Hannah (Plappert) and Molly (Doyle) were out,” the Indians’ co-coach said. “I thought it was going to be a rough year. Not that they're not good, but I didn’t know that they would step up to the level that they did.”
Tuesday’s meeting was the third between the National Conference rivals. The Indians won all three.
“It’s definitely always hard to try and beat the same team multiple times, but coming into this game - when we found out on Sunday that we were playing them, yesterday at practice we just took it as if they were a brand new team, and everything was all new,” Magley said. “We just tried to think about it – not that we were playing them for the third time but that we were playing them for the first time in this scenario.
“It was definitely a challenge. We know they always give us a challenge when we play them, so we just tried to make sure we were ready to play today.”
While Magley stole the spotlight, the Indians’ defense – led by Becky Ely, Kara Le and Caitlin Hannagen – limited the Ghosts to just five goals, two in the second half.
“The whole team played well defensively,” Toner said. “Everybody played solid defense.”
“Communication on defense is very, very important,” Magley added “There were times when we were a little bit mixed up because certain defenders were supposed to mark certain players, and when they weren’t on that player, we were trying to switch. Teamwork on defense is really important.
“I think our team has such great chemistry – we are able to work together really well, offensively and defensively.”
Hannah Plappert added two goals and five assists, and Lindsay Rheiner had two goals and an assist for the Indians, who received a single goal from Erica Green.
For the Ghosts, who were without senior Molly Seefried, Carli Fitzgerald and Meredith Cox both scored two goals and Hannah Sjohlm had one goal. Kelsey Fitzgerald contributed an assist.
In goal, Rock North’s Taylor Beck was credited with seven saves while Abington’s Emily Towey had 10. The Indians held a 22-12 advantage in shots.
Rock North will face sixth-seeded Radnor in Thursday’s quarterfinal round.
“We have never played Radnor before, and it’s going to be a challenge, but it will help us improve,” Magley said. “This is really exciting.”
“I guess on paper everyone would say we didn’t have a chance,” Toner said. “I’ve been on both ends of that, and I know that we always have a chance.”
#12 Hatboro-Horsham 19, #21 Souderton 14
Dunkin’ Donuts has a new ad campaign that is built around the slogan – ‘America runs on Duncan.’
The Hatters started a little campaign of their own, showing up at their final game of the regular season with t-shirts that read, ‘H-H Girls’ Lax Runs on Duncan’ in tribute to first-year coach Duncan Swezey.
“He’s helped us so much this year,” junior Courtnee Daley said. “We have all come together as a team with him.”
The Hatters’ teamwork was never more apparent than in the opening half of Tuesday’s district opener against Souderton as they sprinted to a 10-1 lead and took a 12-2 lead into halftime.“The first five or six minutes, it was like a clinic,” Swezey said. “I think we got the first seven draws in a row, and we may have scored on all of them.
“It’s one of those things where you could tell the (other) team just became a little dejected.”
Draw control and possession were the story of the Hatters’ quick start.
“Basically, I was forcing it to the right, and we were stepping in front of them,” said Daley, who takes the Hatters’ draws. “Speed definitely helps with that – the first step is what matters most, and we basically just boxed them out and got the ball right away and got a fast break from there.”
The Hatters’ success on the draws, according to Swezey, didn’t just happen.
“The way they draw the ball it goes over Courtnee’s shoulder, and it kept going to the same place every time,” Swezey said. “It was either dropping on the circle or five yards beyond the circle, and there was a little scrum.
“We had Lizzy Carr, Rachel Rausa and Caroline Hagan all on that side. We have been spending a lot of time working on that since our North Penn game where we got schooled pretty well. Before that, we weren’t spending a lot of time working on draws because we were winning them all.
“After that game, I said to my girls, ‘They won this game by design. That was not luck. They’re not more talented, but they executed.’ My girls weren’t boxing out. I totally missed that, but I’m learning. Since that point in time, we’ve been working on it every day.”
According to Daley, the Hatters – who defeated the Indians twice during the regular season - were not expecting to have a double-digit lead by halftime.
“We knew they were going to come out and want revenge,” she said. “We knew it was going to be a hard game.
“We wanted to score right away, which we did. Today we definitely made great passes – we passed the ball very quickly and didn’t hold onto the ball too long. We made good shots and moved the goalie, and on defense, we definitely stepped it up today. We only allowed two goals in the first half.”
The Indians, according to Swezey, came out in a zone defense that mirrored the defense the Hatters play, so the Hatters had little difficulty solving the mystery of the Indians’ zone.
“I said, ‘Now you have to run the plays the way they’re supposed to be run,’ and it was click, click, click,” Swezey said.
Daley finished with a game-high eight goals, and Lizzy Carr added seven goals and two assists. Nicole Beck had four goals and four assists. Julie McKay had three assists and Laura Cresta, one assist.
The Indians scored most of their goals when the Hatters were down players. Five minutes into the second half, the Hatters were down one player. They played the final 15 minutes down two players, the result of four yellow cards – none to the same player.
“We had the 10-goal lead and the running clock, and I’m like, ‘Girls, you have to keep the running clock. You don’t realize how important this is,’” Swezey said. “That was the first time I ever coached a team two men down.
“At the end of the day, I started subbing my players out, so they were fresh. I’m not a deep subber, but at that point in time, I’m pulling them out every two minutes and then I’m flashing them back in, so now I have fresh legs.”
The Indians scored four straight goals during one second-half stretch.
“We brought it together and said, ‘We need to get the ball, and we need to hold it, but we need to pass it to the open girl as soon as the double would come,’” Daley said. “It was exhausting, but we still did a pretty good job.
“We pushed through it and came together as a team, but that was the worst thing that could happen. We definitely cannot make that mistake again against the teams we’re going to be going up against.”
The Hatters will travel to fifth-seeded Springfield (Delco) for Thursday’s quarterfinal game.
“We’re definitely excited,” Daley said. “We know that no matter what team we’re coming up against now, it’s going to be a great team.
“We just want to play together. We’re just going to play our hardest and give everything we’ve got because we don’t want this to be our last game.”
#10 Boyertown 17, #23 Central Bucks South 11
The Titans may have come up short on the scoreboard, but that was the only place they came up short, according to coach Janique Craig.
“It was a really good game,” the Titans’ coach said. “We played as a complete unit and played to the last second of the game. Every player contributed.
“They all played fabulous. Overall, I’m just really proud of the way my girls played.”
`The Titans trailed by just three (9-6) at halftime.
“It pretty much came down to the draw control and possession, and in the first half, we were taking our time more and working the ball and driving to goal,” Craig said. “In the second half, Boyertown was winning the draw control a little more.”
Maddie Dibrino and Casey Haegele scored three goals each to lead the Titans, and Kelly Hamilton and Kayla Kenney both added two goals. Taylor Michener scored one goal.
South goalie Leslie Searles was credited with 14 saves.
The Titans closed out the season with a 10-9 record.
#6 Radnor 14, #27 Pennsbury 2
The Falcons – the first Pennsbury squad to ever earn a district berth - made history when they traveled to Radnor for Tuesday’s opening round game. They were greeted by a team that’s spent the past several decades creating history on the lacrosse field.
“I think the girls were happy to be in districts, but they were scared as well,” coach Kelly White said. “They know enough to know Radnor is an excellent program.
“I would say the first 15 minutes of the game there was just pure fear on their faces. They were in awe of the facilities and the turf. We play there for fall ball, but we were in the locker room, and there were all these pictures and articles of all their success and state championships. They’re looking at me like, ‘White, are you kidding me,’ but I was just so proud that they could be there and just experience that there is so much lacrosse beyond Bucks County.
“Radnor is amazing, and I just think my girls did everything in their ability, and I couldn’t be more happy or proud.”
Senior Taylor Hickman and Kelsey Gumbert each scored a goal for the Falcons, who trailed 9-0 at the intermission. Sophomore goalie Liana Eyre had seven saves.
“They played hard,” White said. “One of my girls got a shot off with one second left, and the official turned and smiled and said, ‘You couldn’t ask for anything more.’
“They played until the very end. I had nothing to be upset about or down about. It’s a good experience for them. It’s my second year, and for them to get to the playoffs, which they had never done before – I think everybody felt really good about it.”
The Falcons closed out the year with a 10-7 record.
“Last year was a huge transition,” White said. “I went in and did what the previous coach did. This year I tweaked things and changed everything we did.
“Getting to districts was definitely a goal of mine, but more than anything, I think our focus was to take each game one day at a time and really build up the mental aspect as well as the skill sets we’ve been working on.
“Just playing hard and playing as winners and not giving up and putting our heads down. I think just taking it game by game and setting goals for each game put us in a position where we were able to get into the playoffs. The girls were really, really excited.”
#5 Springfield (Delco) 15, #28 Wissahickon 6
Jackie Hibbs and Zoe Kale both scored two goals to lead the Trojans, and Alex Smith and Emily Croke each scored one. Laura Frankenfield contributed one assist.
Senior goalie Jess Scannapieco had 10 saves for the Trojans, who closed out the year with a 12-7 mark.
#2 Great Valley 17, #31 Cheltenham 2
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