Late-season stumble forgotten, Garnet Valley cruises again

WEST GOSHEN >> Garnet Valley coach Jenny Purvis couldn’t have asked for a better way to begin the District One tournament.
Purvis’ fourth-seeded Jaguars have handled their first three opponents with ease.
Kara Nakrasius scored five goals and Emily Mathewson had four goals as the Jags routed 13th-seeded Unionville, 17-7, in a quarterfinal round game Saturday afternoon at West Chester East High School.
Garnet Valley will meet ninth-seeded Radnor in the semifinal round Tuesday night at Downingtown West.
In three district games, the Jags have outscored the opposition, 56-18.
“After the Abington loss (to close the regular season), we really figured out what we needed to do to come in strong for playoffs,” Purvis said. “All three teams that we’ve played so far have been good, strong teams, but we are playing what we are considering Garnet Valley lacrosse.
“That makes the biggest difference, and I think that comes from having a ton of assists and a lot of team effort.
“It’s not just one person doing all the work.”
Seven Jaguars scored in the win Saturday.
“It’s every one of our attackers and every one of our midfielders,” Purvis said. “That’s a balanced attack.”
The Jags ended the regular season with one win over their final five games, which now seems so long ago.
“As seniors, we knew the next game could be our last,” Nakrasius said. “We’re all really bringing it together and are very close.”
The Jags (16-4-1) didn’t mess around with the Indians (14-6). Mathewson, who scored her 278th career goal Wednesday to become the program’s all-time leading scorer, took a feed from Koscinski and zipped a shot past Unionville sophomore goalkeeper Madison Doucette (12 saves) less than two minutes into regulation. Garnet scored five of the first six goals and led at halftime, 9-3.
“It has a lot to do with trust and just knowing where everyone is. We’re really coming together,” said Koscinski, who chipped in with three goals and two assists. “With Kara, we’ve played together since the third grade. A lot of us have played together for a long time. We all have those instincts on the field and know where to find each other. That’s a big help with this team.”
Junior goalie Lauren Kinnee stopped 14 shots for the Jags. Last spring Kinnee suffered a season-ending injury and watched as Makenna Mink excelled in goal as the Jags won their second straight state title.
Kinnee has played lights out in districts.
“We have three great goalies (in Kinnee, Menk and Sam Hamalak),” Purvis said. “That’s a great problem to have.
“Lauren has shined for us, she has stood on her head. It’s exciting that this is her playoff debut for the most part, and she’s done nothing but great things. She’s our last time of defense and we have total faith in her.”
The Jags put the Indians away by scoring five of the first six goals of the second half. They thrived with their passing and cuts inside the 8-meter box.
“We wanted to have more spacing in transition so that we could have more of those crisp passes, whether it’s long passes or short passes,” Purvis said. “Those are simple things, basic things, that really made a difference.”
On defense the Jags were led by senior Rachel Warden, who had three caused turnovers and a pair of ground balls. Kylie Young added a ground ball and a turnover.
Madi O’Brien chipped in with four goals and four assists. Erin Garvey and Veronica Hineman each tallied two goals for the Indians, who will play Conestoga in the playback round Tuesday.