Lojeski’s goal helps Upper Dublin achieve its states objective against Garnet Valley

LOWER MERION >> Dillon Lojeski motored up the middle of the field like he always did.

But with every step the Upper Dublin goalie took, and every chance to present resistance declined by the Garnet Valley defense, and every shout from the bench to keep pressing, Lojeski kept taking real estate.

“Usually coach calls it out when the field opens up,” Lojeski said. “Usually I’m supposed to press down the middle and wait for a d-pole to slide to me. No one slid, and I just cranked it, aimed for that far post hoping that if I did miss, the attackman would be there to back me up.”

Lojeski’s goal came at a crucial juncture of what would become an 11-7 win for No. 3 seed Upper Dublin (18-2) in the District One quarterfinals.

The Cardinals advance to the state tournament, in addition to Tuesday’s semifinals, while No. 6 Garnet Valley (16-5) must navigate playbacks in a bid for the district’s fifth and final playoff berth.

Lojeski scored early in the second quarter to make the game 5-2, the first goal for either side in some eight minutes. The Cardinals had sprinted out to a 4-0 lead in the first six minutes, but GV stemmed the tide, charging back with two straight markers. The next goal in that 4-2 game would go a long way in determining the momentum. So it’s only fitting that Lojeski, after his team killed a penalty, rumbled a long way upfield for the goal

“I think that made our team have more of a tempo, get more excited,” Lojeski said. “I think everybody played a lot harder after that point, and I think that might have shut them down a little bit mentally.”

With Lojeski’s marker, UD stretched its edge to 6-2, led 8-3 at half and 11-4 midway through the third quarter in draining the latter stages from much drama.

Michael Sowers powered the offense, with two goals and two assists in drawing most of GV’s attention. But he wasn’t alone in contributing. Michael Mullen did most of the finishing, scoring five times, among of bevy of contributors in the potent, multifaceted offense that punishes teams devoting too attention to the All-American Sowers.

“It’s awesome playing with (Sowers) because he draws so much attention,” Mullen said. “Even when he doesn’t have the ball, he just opens up for the rest of us. With the ball, he just looks for us and he’s one of the most unselfish players I know.”

That offense contrasted from Garnet Valley’s erratic day.  They were called for 12 penalties, 10 accepted. They routinely failed to get the right number of players on the field, and despite Rei Lopez commanding the faceoff X at a 16-for-21 clip, the Cardinals’ defense often found ways to separate Garnet Valley from the ball.

Coach Dave Sowers opted to lock Matt Moore most of the game with Rockwell Wright, leaving Jack Rapine free to roam, intercepting passes and generally causing havoc. Wright held Moore without a shot in the first half, and though the junior ended up with two goals and two assists, most were in the late stages when a comeback was out of reach. He went down with an ankle injury late, but returned soon after.

The game could’ve been more lopsided if not for 13 saves from Michael Bonaddio in goal.

“We played out hearts out,” Bonaddio said. “We left everything out on the field. Our offense played well. Our defense played well. Everyone played as well as they could. Some errors happened, but that happens all the time.”

Evan Trizonis scored twice for GV, while Denny Nealon scored a goal in addition to a pair of post-rattlings in the fourth quarter (plus a Moore crossbar strike) that could’ve made the game more interesting.

Instead, Upper Dublin gets its first berth in the state tournament, after falling short with highly-touted teams each of the last two years.

“It means everything,” Mullen said. “We started early in the winter and we put a lot of work in and a lot of time, and it’s really paying off.”