Owen J. Roberts makes easy work of PJP in PAC-10 semis
RED HILL >> Owen J. Roberts, with its usual arsenal of multiple contributors, broke out to a quick start against Pope John Paul II in their Pioneer Athletic Conference girls lacrosse semifinal playoff game Tuesday night at Upper Perkiomen High School.
The Wildcats held a 4-0 lead after the first two minutes of action and the defending PAC-10 champions never looked back in recording an 18-7 victory over the Golden Panthers at Indian Stadium.
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Goals by Maddie Gebert, sophomore Kelsey Kilgallon (two) and Frankie Carroll lifted the Wildcats to the early lead. Anna Dempsey and Kerry Huzzard had assists in the process.
Owen J. Roberts will meet Methacton, a 10-8 winner over Upper Perkiomen in the other Final Four contest, in the PAC-10 championship game Thursday night at Owen J. Roberts High School at 7 p.m. It will be a rematch of last year’s title game that Owen J. Roberts won in Bucktown.
“We came out of the blocks well,” said Owen J. Roberts coach Joe Tornetta. “We hit the net early, and that kind of set the tempo for the night.”
Owen J. Roberts rolled to a 13-2 halftime lead before the two squads each tallied five goals in the second half to create the final margin of victory.
Gebert and Huzzard each scored four goals to lead the way for OJR. Huzzard also had two assists while Gebert had one assist. Kilgallon (one assist) and Carroll each netted three goals while Dempsey and Anna Lavelle each had two goals.
Wildcats goalie Sarah Maute closed the night with six saves while Claire Hampton had two saves. Pope John Paul II goalie Charlotte Williamson recorded nine saves.
Junior midfielder Lauren Bello topped the Golden Panthers with three goals while senior midfielder Abby McMenamin had two goals. Junior attack Kylie Cherneskie and senior attack Bridget Ringenwald each had one goal for PJP.
“We picked a bad night to not show up,” said PJP head coach Maureen Burger. “We had a few moments that were good, but for the most part, we were flat tonight. In spite of the score, (sophomore) Charlotte (Williamson) still did a nice job in goal. It just wasn’t our day. The kids didn’t play like they usually do.
“I am glad we made it here, but we could have made a better showing, and we’re a better team than we played tonight.”
The Wildcats controlled the draws most of the evening, and along with tight defensive work, maintained possession most of the game. Many of those possessions led directly to goals, and there were assists on most of them.
Tornetta praised the work of freshman Sophia Murray at midfield along with junior Sydney Drumheller, who started on defense and was then switched over to midfield. The other starters on defense for the Wildcats included senior Courtney Gerber and sophomores Danika Swech and Kylie Cahill. Eloise Gebert (assist in Tuesday’s win) is another freshman in the Owen J. Roberts mix.
“Kelsey Kilgallon has been playing well for us all year,” said Tornetta. “In the first half, you saw our distribution was pretty good. Frankie Carroll got a couple. Our attack did a good job of taking care of the ball. In the end, we got a little sloppy, but in the first half we did a nice job.”
As for the rematch against Methacton, Tornetta pointed out that this will be the sixth meeting between the Wildcats and Warriors during the past two years. In 2016, OJR has been consistent throughout the year. Methacton, on the other hand, had to make a late flurry in order to reach the Final Four as the second seed from the Liberty Division.
“You gotta go out and play the game,” said Tornetta. “We had a solid year, but it all means nothing. It all comes down to Thursday night. We can’t rest on past games. We’ve got to take care of business Thursday night. Methacton is a good team. It’s gonna be tough.”
PJP, meanwhile, is beginning to make PAC-10 playoff appearances the norm.
“It shows how far the program has come,” said PJP’s McMenamin. “We had one win my first year and now we are fourth my senior year. I am so proud of how far we have come.”
She and the rest of the PJP players are already looking forward to building upon the success they have had the last two years with many players returning that have gained valuable experience.
NOTES >> The Wildcats captured the Liberty Division title with a 12-1 record, and they are now 16-3 overall. The Golden Panthers were the number two seed from the Frontier Division and made the Final Four for the second straight year with a 6-7 record. PJP now stands at 9-8 overall under fourth-year head coach Maureen Burger.
