OJR defense stymies Danville en route to PIAA opening-round win

MIDDLEBURG >> There are a number of things that go through an athlete’s mind during a two-hour team bus ride.

That was especially true for Owen J. Roberts Wednesday, the Wildcats coming off their first loss in well over a month in last week’s district final to Radnor.

Making the two-hour trek to Midd-West High School with a renewed focus, Owen J. Roberts used a second-half surge to power past Danville, 17-5, and advance to the second round of the PIAA playoffs.

Owen J. Roberts will face two-time defending state champion Garnet Valley — 23-7 winners over Wyoming Seminary — on Saturday, site and time to be determined.

Sophomore Sydney Drumheller and senior Courtney Gerber led a potent OJR defense, which forced 26 turnovers and limited Danville to just six shots on goal.

“We were definitely motivated to come and prove ourselves on this level,” said Drumheller, who also went 1-for-1 on draw controls. “Coming into this game, we knew that nothing is guaranteed at this point. We as a defense knew we had to work harder than ever to give the attack the chance to score goals.”

Following a slow first half, OJR’ offense got into rhythm right off the draw in the second half. Senior midfielder Maddie Gebert secured the draw and drove it right down the field to open up the scoring just 35 seconds in.

Things only got better for OJR from there.

The Wildcats scored 10-unanswered goals through the first 21 minutes of the half, capped by Gebert’s two scores with a man-up advantage with six minutes left.

Owen J. Roberts head coach Joe Tornetta couldn’t quite put his finger on what changed between the first and second halves. That said, he saw plenty of positives from the two-time defending PAC-10 champions.

“We played much better in the second half than the first,” he said. “We tightened it up a lot more and started working the ball around a lot better.”

Gebert and Kelsey Kilgallon each finished with four goals apiece while Anna Dempsey (two goals), Eloise Gebert (two assists) and Kerry Huzzard (two assists) had three points apiece. Sophia Murray had a goal and an assist while Danika Swech and Anna Lavelle each scored once.

Coming off the District 4 championship, Danville (14-3) saw its season end in the opening round for the second consecutive year.

Junior captain Kara Bergerstock scored twice for Danville, including the game’s opening score on a wrap-around just 55 seconds in. Madison Vastine, Carly Heimbach and Martina Plafcan each scored once.

Now gearing up for perennial powerhouse Garnet Valley Saturday, Tornetta and the Wildcats know the next task very well may be their most difficult test of the season. Owen J. Roberts suffered a 16-10 season-opening loss to the Jaguars back on March 29.

“I think they (Wildcats) know what’s in front of them in Garnet Valley,” said Tornetta. “That’s going to be a challenge right from the start. We’ve got to come out and play the way we did in the second half today. We can’t afford to have a slow start.”

NOTES >> Huzzard was making her first appearance since suffering an injury against Merion Mercy during districts. … Sara Maute made her first appearance since sustaining a concussion during the PAC-10 semifinal. … Claire Hampton made one save in goal in the second half.