Practice makes perfect for Radnor’s Quinn in overtime

WEST GOSHEN — Radnor midfielder Katie Quinn and goalie Maddie Lally stood together after the Red Raiders’ 8-7 overtime victory over Harriton in a PIAA Tournament quarterfinal game at West Chester East High’s Zimmerman Stadium Saturday morning.

They were talking about the Red Raiders’ goalie appreciation day that took place earlier Thursday during practice.

“Maddie and Alexa (Soloman, the team’s freshman goalie) really got it that day,’ Quinn said. “We were working on our shots, and they faced all kind of hard, tough shots.’

Lally could smile, because she understood how all the practice her teammates had during the season has made a difference in a lot of winning efforts.

Quinn had the most important shot of Saturday’s contest, an 8-meter free position attempt 1:13 into overtime. She put the ball in the back of the cage, and Radnor (22-2) earned the chance to play in the state semifinal against Central League champion Conestoga. That game will be played at Haverford High Tuesday.

“Every day I work on 8-meter shots,’ Quinn said. “It’s the last drill we do, and today as I was standing there I thought about doing this all those times in practice.

“I asked myself what shot Maddie might miss when we do this, and I wanted to take that kind of a good shot. Their goalie was stopping things high today, so I thought maybe I should go 5-hole.’

Lally was calm as she stood at the other end of the field watching Quinn go to work. She got ready for the Harriton attack when the Rams won the draw in overtime, but a turnover gave Radnor the opportunity to end the game before the Rams could cross midfield with the ball.

“Whenever we were in a huddle I just kept saying we were not going to lose to them again,’ Lally, who finished with eight saves, said. “We won when we played them (in a Central League game), and I think we thought that was so easy we weren’t ready like we should have been when we had to play them (in districts) and lost (13-11).

“We had that wake-up call, and I know it made me convinced we were not going to lose to them in this game.’

Radnor coach Brooke Fritz wasn’t so certain that was something Lally and the Red Raiders could make happen.

“The last time we played them, we were behind, 5-0,’ Fritz said. “Today it was 3-0, and I’m saying to myself, ‘ here we go again.’

“We didn’t shoot all that well, but we won and we’ll take it.’

Emily Games shot well enough for Radnor in each half, getting two goals before halftime and two more after the break. Harriton’s Laura Lasprogata scored twice in the second half, putting the Rams up, 7-5, with seven minutes to play.

Games countered with an 8-meter shot with 2:22 left, then 32 seconds later Hannah Proctor, who had two assists in the opening half, converted on a free position to tie the score.

Lally helped set up Games’ score when she stepped in front of a Harriton pass with three minutes to play and tossed the ball to a teammate up the field.

“That was such a big play, a game-changer,’ Fritz said. “She was working against an All-American (Jane Henderson), made the interception and then got (the scoring play) started.

“Our defense did a nice job, and Katy Junior moved up on draw controls because she is so good at getting ground balls.’

Fallon Quinn, Abby Lord, Junior, Nicole Massimino, Proctor, Reilly Masterson and Katie Quinn were solid in front of Lally when Harriton went on the attack.

“We knew what we had to do to cover them,’ Fallon Quinn said. “We have confidence in each other, and when we have the ball we have confidence in our attack.’

Katie Quinn remembered scoring the tying goal in a game against Archbishop Carroll during her freshman year.

“I’ve never scored in overtime,’ she said. “Until today.’