Conestoga thumps Radnor to reach state final for first time
Haverford — There are many components that comprise a championship caliber team. Coaching, and talent are imperative but another key attribute is composure. In the PIAA girls lacrosse semifinals Conestoga overcame a plethora of obstacles en route to hammering Radnor, 9-4, at A.G. Cornog Stadium at Haverford High School on Tuesday afternoon.
For the first time in the program’s history they will compete in the PIAA Championship on Saturday at noon at Hersheypark Stadium against Central League foe Garnet Valley. The Jaguars booked their place in the final with a 13-10 victory over Quaker Valley.
“This has been our goal all season,’ Conestoga’s coach Amy Orcutt said. “It’s hard to put into words how great this feels. I am so proud of this team.’
It wasn’t an ideal start for the Pioneers (23-3). They faced a two-goal deficit to an opponent that defeated them two weeks ago, they were scoreless the first 16 minutes of the game with two shots ringing off the crossbar. Conestoga also ommitted six first-half turnovers.
“We never, ever give up,’ Pioneers attacker Liz Scott said. “We could be down and beat up and we will keep fighting. Everyone does their job and everyone does their job well. No deficit is too big for us, we know we will come back.’
That’s exactly what they did. After Emily Games scored back-to-back goals to give the Red Raiders (22-3) a 2-0 advantage, Conestoga responded.
They finally got on the board after Monica Borzillo found an open Sondra Dickey who blew a shot by goalie Maddie Lally.
“Each and everyone one of us have each other’s backs,’ Borzillo said. “If we fall behind or make a mistake everyone is right there to tell them to shake it off. That’s what gets us back into games and keeps us going.’
Three minutes later, they tied it up when Hannah Ashton charged the left side of the net, spun into the crease and scored.
With just under three minutes remaining in the half, Scott made a gorgeous pass to Maggie Stetson, who gave them the 3-2 lead.
Radnor’s Riley Masterson scored on an eight-meter with 39 seconds left to tie the game 3-3 at halftime.
“I told them they have 25 minutes left. They just had to go out and get it because it was theirs,’ Orcutt said. “In the second half we worked their defense. They have such an outstanding defense and if we didn’t move the ball and find the open player we wouldn’t score. That’s why we struggled in the beginning. We pulled away in the second half because we moved the ball and Laney (Stenson) and our defense were outstanding.’
As the rain picked up in the final half, so did Conestoga’s intensity. The Red Raiders possessed the ball for the opening five minutes, but goalie Laney Stenson and the Pioneers defense were stellar. Radnor fired three shots on goal but couldn’t score.
“We focused and created a lot of turnovers,’ defenseman Sarah Nicholson said. “We came into the state tournament so fired up. I think we get stronger as the games go on because we have so much energy.’
When they finally got possession back, the offense took over. Stetson put her team up 4-3 when she fired a shot at Lally. The senior goalie made the initial save, but the ball had so much backspin on it that it still rolled into the cage.
The offense struck again 50 seconds later. Stetson threaded the needle with a pass to a cutting Scott, who scored easily.
Goals from Scottie Growney, Dickey, Ashton, and Borzillo helped the Pioneers open up a 6-0 run.
“I think we wanted it more than them,’ Scott said. “Every time the ball was on the ground we got it. Every 50/50 we got. Those little things are what separate you from winning and losing.’
When the two teams met in the District 1 consolation game, Masterson and Hannah Proctor gave Conestoga’s defense fits. The two combined for seven goals and helped Radnor win 11-10. On Tuesday, the Pioneers defense held Masterson to two goals — one coming at the very end of the game — while Proctor was shut out.
“Turnovers were big for us,’ defenseman Elisabeth Ingersoll said. “We communicated well and everyone did a great job. We weren’t happy with the way we played against them the last time, we knew we had to step it up.’
Stenson was equally as impressive in net. All season long Conestoga has done goaltending by platoon with Stenson and Jules Horning each playing a half. With the final 25 minutes belonging to Stenson, the senior made seven saves and held Radnor to one goal.
“She was unbelievable today,’ Orcutt said. “She was in the zone and no one could score on her.’
In Hollywood style, they’ll have to defeat the reigning PIAA champions – – who ended their 2014 season – – if they want to capture their first state title.
“We’ll never forget how they ended our season last year,’ Ingersoll said. “We want them, we want to play Garnet Valley. We have a fire lit in us.’
The Pioneers used a strong second half to help edge past the Jaguars, 13-11, in the regular season.
“Garnet Valley is an amazing team and they are very talented,’ Orcutt said. “If we focus on ourselves and play the game we know how to play, hopefully we will come out on top,’
