Loud and Clear: Owen J. Roberts wins statement game over Methacton
BUCKTOWN >> They’d seen the preseason prognostications. They’d heard the murmurs across the league.
And they knew just how to silence all of it.
“We needed to win this one, plain and simple,” said Owen J. Roberts senior Maddie Gebert. “Methacton isn’t a team to take lightly — we knew that coming in.”
In the end, the Wildcats took down Methacton, 8-7 Friday in a game that brought out a similar feel to last season’s PAC-10 championship game between the two.
Gebert was stellar on the afternoon, racking up four goals while battling a face-guard throughout the game. She also came up with a timely forced turnover in the Wildcats’ zone to seal it with just over 30 seconds left in regulation.
Senior Kerry Huzzard scored twice and added an assist while junior Anna Dempsey finished the afternoon with two assists in the win.
As a result, Owen J. Roberts improves to 3-0 in the Pioneer Athletic Conference (4-1 overall). Methacton drops to 0-3 in PAC-10 play, 1-4 overall.
“We felt like this was a statement game for us,” said Dempsey. “We knew there was a lot on the line for this game because it’s really our first big league game of the season. We felt like it was time to prove that last year wasn’t just a fluke. We’re still here.”
With both rosters returning the brunt of their top players from last season, both teams knew what atmosphere to expect.
“Playing against Owen J. is always an exciting and intense game,” said Methacton head coach Laurie Markle. “The way our team hung with them today, we’re definitely hoping this will be a turning point for us.”
Entering the season as a favorite to contend in the Liberty Division, Markle admits her team isn’t off to the start she’d anticipated.
“Our record definitely doesn’t define us at this point in the season,” she said. “We’ve got plenty of capable players, though, and hopefully we’re starting to get on the right track. I think our team is finally starting to show up and get into rhythm.”
Methacton jumped out two a two-goal lead on Friday, sparked by senior Sara Hughes’ opening goal just under five minutes in. Nearly two minutes later, freshman Frankie Lucchesi found twine off a feed from Alana Cardaci on a fast break.
Owen J. Roberts head coach Joe Tornetta knew the smallest spark could light a fire under an experienced Methacton team. A team seeking its first conference win can often be the most dangerous, so when he found himself down two goals seven minutes in, he knew something needed to change.
“At that point we told our kids, ‘We can’t let them (the Warriors) get any life,’” said Tornetta. “Coming into the season, we expected Methacton would be one of the top picks across the league. They’ve got all the talent — it’s basically the same team as a year ago that took us down to the wire.”
Highlighted by both of Dempsey’s goals, OJR rattled off four unanswered scores in a 10-minute span.
Hughes, who would finish the game with five goals, notched a goal to tie it up at 5-all with two seconds left before halftime. Cardaci racked up a goal and an assist while Jackie Cerchio finished with two assists.
But it was Gebert and the Wildcats who took over the tempo in the second half.
Four minutes in, the Temple commit charged the full length of the field after a caused turnover and flicked it past Methacton keeper Addie Frey to give OJR a lead it would never again relinquish. She added another tally seven minutes later.
“Maddie’s the real deal,” said Tornetta. “She’s as tough as they come. We were able to get her the ball and get her shots at the right time. Other (shots), she sort of created on her own. She’s one of those players we can always count on.”
Senior Kerry Huzzard (George Mason commit) scored her second goal — which proved to be the game-winner — with almost five minutes remaining in regulation.
Trailing by three with under five minutes remaining, Cardaci scored to make it 8-6, followed just 27 seconds later when Hughes flicked one past OJR keeper Sara Maute off a rebound.
Holding on to a one-goal lead as the clock ticked down, Owen J. Roberts looked to maintain possession. Senior Courtney Gerber scooped up a ground ball in front of the OJR cage with 2:30 left to give her team the needed possession and end the Warriors’ threat. With 40 seconds left in regulation and Methacton moving down field looking to put together a final scoring threat, Gebert knocked the ball loose from the Methacton offense to seal it.
“It was huge for us to be able to put the game away in the final minutes,” said Gebert. “Last season, we let a lot of games get away from us in the final moments. That was big for us to keep fighting and finish it out.”
NOTES >> Maute finished with seven goals for OJR while Frey finished with 13 for Methacton … Daria Lucchesi made an assist for Methacton.
