(1-9) Upper Dublin vs. (1-1) Downingtown West
When: Wednesday, June 1, 7 p.m.
Where: West Chester East
Downingtown East
- 22-1 overall
- Ches-Mont champions
- District One champions
- Only loss of the season came at the hands of Radnor (10-8) on April 1.
How they got there: The Cougars defeated Garnet Valley 22-12 to capture the District One title. Ashley Poli contributed nine goals and three assists in the win.
Players to watch: Kelly Devlin (Midfield, will play lacrosse at North Carolina), Allie Murray (Goalie, will play lacrosse at Notre Dame), Ashley Poli (Attack, will play lacrosse at West Chester), Emily Solenburger (Attack, will play lacrosse at Lehigh)
Upper Dublin
- 12-0 American Conference champions
- 17-6 overall
- Kelly Cross leads the Flying Cardinals with 91 goals this season, 29 in the postseason.
- Brooke Callahan has 59 goals.
How they got here: Upper Dublin defeated Council Rock North 12-5 to earn the ninth and final state playoff berth from District One. The Flying Cardinals’ win came on the heels of a devastating 20-19 loss to Harriton in a contest that saw Harriton score the game winner in the closing seconds of the game.
Players to watch: Kaley Weinstein (Sr., Midfield), Kelly Cross (Jr., Midfield), Steph Spese (Jr., Defense), Brooke Callahan (Jr., Attack), Emily Hitchings (Jr., Midfield), Lily Morreale (Jr., Defense), Anna Lauer (Jr., Goalie), Michele DeVincent (Jr., Midfield), Megan Rock (Jr., Midfield), Danielle Ferguson (Jr., Midfield), Taylor D’Ginto (Fr., Attack), Anna Petrucci (Fr., Defense)
Coach Dee Cross says: “It’s very exciting. I really thought it was a devastating loss to Harriton, and (a reporter) asked me after our Rock North game how we motivated the girls. I said, ‘Sometimes coaches have to really embarrass themselves and get stupid,’ and that’s what we did. In practice on Wednesday, we made fools of ourselves basically in front of them to make them laugh. We asked them, ‘Are you with us or are you done?’ It’s very easy to be done. That was a heartbreaker, and it’s been draining. They looked us in the eye and said, ‘We want to win. We want to go to states.’ It was so exciting to see every single one of them look at us and say that. That’s all you can ask for.
“Kelly (Cross) has always had a laidback kind of personality. Last year she had over 60 assists, which she combined with 50-some goals, so she knows how to feed, and she always looks to feed first. This year she’s been able to learn when it’s the right time to score and when it’s time to give it up. She has been a calming influence on the field, and the other girls look to her.
“Brooke Callahan has 59 goals, which is almost double what she did last year as a sophomore. She’s been very steady for us on attack and has really also raised her game in the last couple of weeks. Emily Hitchings has been getting the ball in the midfield transition and has been very steady for us. She played against Rock North with a very deep contusion in her quad. She was limited, but she played through it and has really been a steadying influence for us helping us get the ball from one end of the field to the other.
“Michele DeVincent pretty much for a whole month had an injury and was shut down. She was first team all-league last year, and it was a very frustrating start. She could have easily given up, but her game against Rock North was probably her best game of the season. Again, it came at the right time. Her attitude has been great all year. She has done everything our athletic trainer has asked her to do, and right now in the playoffs - she’s doing whatever we ask, and that’s a tribute to her. She just wants the team to win.
“Taylor D’Ginto, who had 21 goals this season, sometimes gets ignored on offense being the rookie, but she always does what we ask her to do. If we miss a shot, she’s there behind the cage to get the ball. It’s not always the most glamorous position on offense, but she knows her role and has done a nice job.
“Danielle Ferguson – who plays D-wing – picked a stick up for the first time last year. She had a solid jayvee season, and she worked hard in the offseason and said, ‘Coach, I’m ready.’ She started the season on jayvee, but when Michele (DeVincent) got hurt, we had to throw Danielle in, and she’s started ever since and has done a great job. She’s a solid defender because of her basketball experience, and she’s really developed as the season went on.
“Since the North Penn game, Anna Lauer has really become a different person. She had some point blank saves, and every game she has come up with saves she has struggled with all season. If there’s a time for someone to peak and figure things out, she has picked the right time, so we’re really excited about that.
“Our whole defense – Steph Speese has raised her game this year and has been our main leader on defense this year, working with junior Lily Morreale and freshman Anna Petrucci. The three of them play low ‘D’ and they had never played together before. They held Downingtown East to 12 goals, and that’s the lowest goal output they’ve had throughout the whole playoffs. Megan Rock has come in as a junior on defense, and Kaley Weinstein, our only senior (starter), does whatever I ask, and they have done a really good job of staying together and working on everything we asked them to work on at practice and actually taking it over into games has really helped us, especially in the postseason.
“I told them – ‘Our reward for all the hard work of getting into states is to now face the number one seed again.’ They all looked at me with blank stares. I said, ‘You know what that means? This is your time to get the big upset.’ We have all seen it – on any given day. We’re going to work on our game plan. We told them - it’s exciting to be here, but let’s not settle for just being here. Let’s make a mark, let’s make a name for ourselves, and let’s play and do what we do best. Who knows? We’re trying to get them ready. I think they’ll give a good effort.”
- Log in to post comments
0
