Central Bucks East rallied for a come-from-behind win over Abington to remain alive in the quest for the final state berth.Hatboro-Horsham girls’ lax lost but is still fighting for final state berth as well.
#3 Central Bucks East 13, #7 Abington 11
DOYLESTOWN – In the first half of Tuesday evening’s District One Tournament playback game, Abington’s Ryan Ambler burned Central Bucks East for four goals as the Ghosts dominated the opening 24 minutes, jumping out to a 3-0 lead and holding a commanding 8-4 lead at halftime.
In the second half, however, the Patriots focused on keeping Ambler out of the offense and picked up their own hustle and defensive efforts. The result was a dominant effort by the Patriots, who scored the only five goals of the third quarter and rallied to take a thrilling 13-11 victory over the Ghosts.
“We talked at halftime and we said if we don’t all give it our all, our season’s over,” said East senior Parker Self, who scored three goals. “Everybody went out there and gave it 100 percent.
“We didn’t get to ground balls in the first half. Once we started picking up the ground balls in the third quarter it all started happening for us. You start hustling and then you start making better decisions and then it all rolls downhill from there.”
Chris Lavin and Bryan Schwartz were tasked with keeping Abington’s Ambler off the scoreboard in the second half, and the senior duo came through with flying colors.
“In the first half we couldn’t contain (Ambler) and he was getting a lot of shots off,” Schwartz said. “The second half we started locking him off and we had me and Chris Lavin on him. It was a whole different game once we got him out of the play.”
“That really helped slow down their offense because he really regulates what they do,” said East goalkeeper Harrison Holak. “Once we did that, it gave our poles better matchups and we were able to shut them off in the second half.”
Trailing 8-4, East entered the second half with renewed focus and intensity.
Goals by Tyler Butler and Self 37 seconds apart cut the Ghost lead to 8-6 less than two minutes into the third period. Eric Riva made it 8-7, then Zach Kane tied the score when he scooped up the ground ball of an errant pass from a teammate right in front of the Abington cage and fired it in.
Less than two minutes later, East took its first lead of the game when Matt Heim gathered up a loose ball and fed it to Ethan Debuque, who ripped home a low shot for his second of the game.
“We got together at halftime and made a commitment to each other,” Schwartz said. “We haven’t lost at home yet and we weren’t starting today. We went out there and owned the second half. We started hustling, started leaving everything on the field.”
“East outworked us in the second half,” said Abington coach Ryan Greer. “We had a great first half, but we really had too many unforced turnovers tonight. No discredit to them, they outplayed us the second half and deserved to win. But we didn’t play a very disciplined game and it really bit us in the end.”
Matt Figueroa and Hunter Jones (Ambler assists on both) scored early in the fourth to put Abington back on top, but East responded with a pair of Self goals. Abington knotted the score at 11-11 when Matt Lomady worked his way in from the sideline and beat Holak with 5:24 remaining. But Holak, who made 18 saves on the night, came up huge in the final five minutes, stoning a pair of tough shots to keep the score tied.
“It definitely helps to have a defense in front of me that can keep the shots to the outside,” Holak said. “I didn’t have to make a lot of point-blank saves tonight.”
Anthony Caselli netted what would stand as the game-winner with 2:14 left when he worked his way through the Abington defense and beat goalkeeper Travis O’Connor (13 saves). Caselli would add an insurance goal (Schwartz assist) with 17 seconds left.
It was a drastic change from the first half, which saw the Ghosts score the first three goals, then use a 5-1 run in the second quarter to claim an 8-4 lead at the break.
Figueroa, Shane Dunn and Ambler scored for Abington in the first quarter. Figueroa added his second of three on the game in the second period, Ambler poured in three more and Will Dulin picked the far corner to give Abington a seemingly comfortable lead.
“We did a great job in the first half,” Greer said. “We stayed out of the penalty box, we moved the ball, played unselfish. In the second half, we really didn’t move the ball well at all.”
Abington closes out its season, its first under Greer, at 15-7.
“I’m very proud of the guys,” Greer said. “We had a lot of great senior leadership. We knew it would tough for them with a new coach and a new philosophy, but they fought through the hard times. I thought we got to where we wanted to. You always want to keep playing, but it just wasn’t our game tonight.”
The Patriots (19-2), meanwhile, advance to play Radnor Thursday night for the fifth and final District One berth in the PIAA State Tournament.
“We’ll definitely be ready for Radnor,” Holak said. “We’ve still got another gear. I still don’t think we’ve hit our peak. We can play better ball Thursday night.”
“We don’t want this to be over yet,” Self said. “Once we got the momentum, that gave us the edge we needed. And we’re going to bring that with us on Thursday, too.”
Notes: Chris Vetter (2) and Chris Schneekloth also scored for East … Schneekloth won 16 of 28 faceoffs and scooped up six ground balls … Abington’s Figueroa was credited with five ground ball pickups … East’s Riva was injured midway through the fourth quarter when he sustained an injury to his right leg. He was carried off the field and was unable to return. Abington’s Dunn went down in the final two minutes, but was able to walk off the field on his own.
#8 Radnor 6, #5 Hatboro-Horsham 5
Continental Conference co-champion Hatboro-Horsham saw its season come to an end in Tuesday’s 6-5 playback round loss to Radnor. The Hatters trailed, 2-0 after one quarter, but scored three in the second to take a 3-3 tie into halftime. The game was knotted at 4-4 after three quarters.
The Hatters conclude the season at 17-4 overall.
GIRLS LACROSSE
#7 Strath Haven 17, #11 Hatboro-Horsham 15
Despite a six-goal game from Lizzy Carr and four goals from Rachel Rausa, the Hatters fell behind in the second half and could not battle their way back in a 17-15 loss to Strath Haven in the first game of the playback round Tuesday.
“At this time of year, we all know that every game is going to be harder than the one before, and we should be peaking this time of year and not worrying about making mistakes,” said Hatters’ coach Duncan Swezey. “The first five minutes today, you could tell both teams had a lot of jitters, both teams looked tight.
“Between the 30s, with draw control and controlling the rhythm in middle, we weren’t getting it done there. They were getting possession and maintaining control.”
The Panthers led, 10-8, after a close first half, but a three-goal run early in the second provided Strath Haven with a cushion it would not relinquish.
“We knew we were not playing a good game, and at halftime, we said, let’s just come out and settle down and play our game,” Swezey said. “They just never really got into a groove, never got the girls feeling comfortable. Strath Haven did a great job of putting pressure on the ball.
“We did not have the ball in the second half for about 10 minutes. Good things can’t happen when the ball’s not on your side of the field.”
Sarah Labrum’s six goals led a spread-out Panthers attack that saw nine players score. In addition to Carr and Rausa’s output for the Hatters, Cortnee Daley and Nicolle Beck each scored twice and Julie McKay added one goal.
As a result of the loss, the Hatters will face Springfield-Delco for the seventh and final berth in the PIAA State Tournament. Springfield dropped a 14-11 decision to Great Valley in its playback game on Tuesday. The two teams met last year in the second round of the District One Tournament, with Delco posting a 14-9 victory.
For the Hatters (18-4 overall), there are no more second chances. From now on, either the Hatters win, or they go home.
“They’ve got to get their wheels on,” Swezey said. “We can’t just show up. We’ve got to show up and be ready to play our game.
“We’re not showing up with our best game. And the entire team knows it – too many turnovers, too many penalties against us. And the girls know it. Now they know it’s one and done.”
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