Swart, Ferraioli guide Carroll past Springfield to first state crown

For their first trip to the PIAA final, Archbishop Carroll showed poise beyond its years in a classic of a final.

Two second-half goals from Sam Swart made the difference, and the Patriots resisted late pressure in clinching a 9-8 decision over Springfield in the PIAA Class 3A final at West Chester East.

Swart, who scored three times, tallied off assists from Madison Henry at 9:43 and 5:10 of the second half to put Carroll ahead for good. The latter came on a man advantage with Springfield goalie Julianne Clemens off the field.

Katie Detwiler added a hat trick for the Patriots (24-1). The midfielder caused a turnover and nabbed a ground ball off a restart with three seconds to play, clinching the win. She also led all players with nine draw controls.

Carroll is the first District 12 team to play for a state title in girls lacrosse and the first non-Central League team to lift the crown.

Carroll goalie Maddie Ferraioli made 10 saves in goal, including a denial of a Julie Schickling free-position shot with less than a minute to play to preserve the one-goal edge.

Olivia Little scored twice for Springfield, both goals within 40 seconds to start the second half as part of a 3-0 run that tied the game at 5. Bridget Whitaker, who scored a free-position shot with 4:02 to play to narrow the gap to 9-8, paired a goal with an assist, as did Dana Carlson.

Full story to come …