Quinn’s stroke lifts Phoenixville over Quakertown in District 1-AAA opener

October 20, 2014

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PHOENIXVILLE – No way this gang of Phoenixville field hockey players wanted to see their fine season end in the first round of the District 1-Class AAA playoffs.

So even after spotting Quakertown a 2-0 first-half lead, the Phantoms kept clawing and fighting their way back. They trimmed the deficit to 2-1 by halftime, forged a 4-4 tie by the end of regulation time and then won the contest in dramatic fashion.

Bailey Quinn’s penalty stroke with 11:54 remaining in the 15-minute overtime period propelled the seventh-seeded Phantoms to a 5-4 victory Monday at the Upper Turf field. Haley White made a penetration into the circle and was fouled to set up the play and deciding score.

Quinn had a pair of penalty stroke goals on the day while TJ Jefferis also scored a pair of goals and Katie McErlean had one. The Phantoms controlled the ball throughout the afternoon, piling up 18 penalty corners to give them plenty of scoring chances. Brogan Heisey inserted two corners that led to goals.

Phoenixville (18-2) would have scored more except for some exceptional work by Quakertown’s sophomore goalie, Rylee Lawler, who finished with 12 saves. The Phantoms advanced to a second-round meeting against No. 23 Avon Grove, a 1-0 overtime winner over No. 10 Methacton, in another 3:30 p.m. home start. Phoenixville keeper Kim Rutherford registered five saves.

“We didn’t give up the whole game,’ said Quinn, who stroked her game-winner to the high back portion of the cage. “We had so many chances. We kept going. We played really hard. We had a lot of good connections.’

The 26th-seeded Panthers, who play in the tough Suburban One League Continental Division and have experienced a season of turmoil with key players and coaches quitting over the no-boy eligibility rule their school board enforced, scored first on the first of a hat trick by lightning-fast Emma McLaughlin, a junior forward, at the 19:12 mark of the first half. Her breakaway move set up a corner opportunity that led to the score.

Senior defender Megan Thompson followed with a penalty stroke at 9:57 to give the Panthers (8-10-1), a 2-0 lead. McErlean finally put the Phantoms on the board at 2:37 off a corner to create the 2-1 score at halftime.

Quinn knotted the score at two with 25:21 showing in the second half on a penalty stroked that skipped off the goalie’s foot and into the cage. McLaughlin’s rush put the Panthers back in front at 21:51. But Jefferis made a breakaway and then converted a high scoop shot off a push by Quinn to tie the game at 3 with 20:04 showing.

Thompson hit the left post on another penalty stroke at 17:53 to keep the game tied.

A Jefferis blast off a corner at 12:22 gave the Phantoms a 4-3 edge, but McLaughlin scored her third goal off a corner at 7:05 to tie the fray once again.

McLaughlin had another attempt go high of the cage at the four-minute mark. Then Quinn went one-on-one with Lawler from close range inside the circle in the last 20 seconds of regulation time, with the goalie making the stop, to send the game into the 7-on-7 player overtime session.

“The first stroke, I looked over at my mom,’ said Quinn. “I can’t believe that even happened. Thankfully, it went in. Then Haley made an unbelievable play. We thought it was a corner, but they ruled it a penalty stroke. Without all these players, we wouldn’t have gotten this.’

Quinn and McLaughlin also happen to play together with the WC Eagles club team.

Phoenixville coach John Tornetta was glad the team stayed alive in the single-elimination playoff game, but he did not like the fact the Phantoms allowed four goals on just nine Quakertown shots on the day.

“We gave them too many opportunities,’ said Tornetta. “We have to tighten that up. Our defense has played well all year, but we have to come ready to play. We will work on that in practice tomorrow (Tuesday) to get ready for Wednesday. We can’t expect to give up four goals and win games.

“Number 10 (McLaughlin) has great stick skills. We overplayed the ball. We weren’t moving our feet. We were just overplaying the ball instead of us playing the ball. But we live to play another day. That is what it is all about. It was ugly but effective, you could say. But we showed a lot of heart. We don’t quit. I told the girls you are (mostly) seniors and to play as a team.’

“(In overtime) we had to keep connecting and make short passes,’ said Quinn. “We knew that you can’t over think everything.’

Quinn’s stroke lifts Phoenixville over Quakertown in District 1-AAA opener

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