Balanced attack sends Plymouth Whitemarsh past Henderson in District 1 opener

WHITEMARSH >> The last time Plymouth Whitemarsh won a District One girls lacrosse playoff game Monica Dresnin was five years old.

That would be 2003, when the Colonials featured future Georgetown product Patti Piotrowicz.

These days the Colonials feature a much more varied attack, and it showed in Tuesday’s 12-10 win over West Chester Henderson, a victory that moves PW into a second-round meeting Thursday, likely against the returning state champions, Garnet Valley.

That’s not to say the Colonials dominated the Warriors. In fact, Henderson began the game as if it were shot out of a cannon, scoring three times before the contest was four minutes old.

Kara Reichart had two of those goals as Henderson built a 3-0 lead in the game’s first 3:21.

“We came out strong,” said Warriors head coach Lauren Purvis, “but we also had a couple shots go wide and we hit five posts.”

Meanwhile, the Colonials were just getting warmed up.

“This team has come a long way,” said Colonials head coach Ellen Reilly. “They play hard and they really have fun playing the game.”

“It was a little bit surreal playing in this game,”” said captain Monica Dresnin. “We were having trouble winning draws at the beginning of the game, but once we began winning draws, we were getting good possessions and good looks at the net.”

And those looks began to pay dividends.

PW came right back at the Warriors, scoring the next five goals, with Dresnin collecting two.

Reichart closed the first-half scoring but the Warriors trailed, 5-4 at the break.

The Colonials continued their offensive fireworks in opening minutes of the second half after Jordyn Bauer tied the game at 5 for the Warriors.

The home team netted the game’s next five goals, and the Warriors would never recover.

Sophie Kolkka led the way with three of those goals as the Colonials were suddenly on top, 10-5.

“Once we settled down, we did a good job,” Reilly said. “We’ve been in that situation a couple of times this year, and once we settle down, we’re good.

“They settle down and they start to play together. If they play together they’re capable of a lot.”

Trailing 10-5, the Warriors rallied briefly, using goals by Hayley DeAgostine and Madeline Pritchard to get within 10-7.

But the Colonials and sophomore goaltender Megan Ely (10 saves)  came up big, goals by Aurora Mills and Ali Diamond pushed the lead back to five, and the Colonials held off a late Henderson charge to land in victory lane for the first time since most of them were a couple of years old.

“I couldn’t be more proud of my team,” Purvis said. “We’ve had a season where we had a lot of injuries and we had a lot of different players in and out of the lineup.

“But when we got down, the girls just kept on playing hard and almost came back. And I’m very proud of them.”

As for the Colonials, they’re in unchartered waters, and loving it.

“There were some things we need to fix,” Dresnin said. “We have to be smarter with the ball.

“But we’ll work on it in practice. And we better be ready because we’re going to see some of the best teams we’re ever going to see.”