Dinh puts Chi’s name in lights with OT goal

UPPER CHICHESTER >> Chichester High junior Lina Dinh would like to study film-making and play lacrosse in college.

She hopes that those who view her films will be as entertained as she will be whenever she views the game film from Chi’s Del Val League opener against Academy Park at Boothwyn School Field Tuesday afternoon.

Dinh scooped up a groundball near the restraining line in the first minute of overtime and made a dash for the goal. She didn’t stop until a whistle was blown and the signal was given that she had scored the goal which gave the host Eagles (1-1, 1-0) an 11-10 decision over the Knights.

“I saw the ball, then I saw the lane and I just told myself I should go for it,” Dinh said of her first goal of the season.

“I saw Maura (Murray), but I didn’t want to take a chance (attempting a pass).”

The Academy Park defense was focused on stopping Alyssa Clausen, who scored six goals, and Murray, who added four goals and one assist, which gave Dinh the opportunity to score in overtime for the first time since she began playing lacrosse as a seventh grader.

“Since it was our first league game, it makes it much better that we won it,” Chichester’s first-year head coach Hillary Laganosky, a former Garnet Valley player, said of her initial coaching victory.

“We have a lot of seniors who have played together since middle school, and we want to have a successful season for them.”

Chichester fell behind, 3-0, in the first six minutes as Chantal Farmer, Dakota Street (who finished with four goals) and Emily Deluca (three goals) scored for Academy Park.

The next nine minutes belonged to the Eagles as Murray scored first and Clausen, who ended up with six goals, got a pair. Cheyanne Farmer and Deluca put Park back on top, but Murray answered twice for Chichester, leaving the teams even at halftime.

Two goals by Clausen and one by Murray gave Chi an 8-5 advantage in the first four minutes of the second half before Street and Newsome scored for Academy Park, which trailed by one goal for more than 10½ minutes before Deluca pulled the Knights into an 8-8 tie.

A pair of goals by Street had the visitors on top, 10-8, with five minutes to play, but Clausen scored twice, the second assisted by Murray, to force overtime. Goalies Terae Mason of Academy Park (11 saves) and Ashley Carpenter of Chichester (12 saves) also played their parts in sending the game into extra playing time.

“Things went pretty well, except for the final result,” Knights head coach Susan Reutter said. “It’s still early in the season, and there are some situational things I still haven’t had the chance to explain to them.

“This is the first season we’ve had freshmen who have played throughout middle school, which means we have a full (junior varsity) team. We’re looking forward to having a good season.”