Lansdale Catholic wins District 12-3A title; Crim a good fit at keeper
PHILADELPHIA >> Sometimes, the best thing to do after an agonizing loss is get right back on the field.
After a gutting loss to Archbishop Ryan in Monday night’s PCL title game, the Lansdale Catholic girls soccer team went right back to work Wednesday, again at Northeast High. While the Crusaders’ opponent, The Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush, wasn’t the same level as Ryan or Archbishop Wood, the game still had stakes.
LC needed to win in order to go to the state tournament for the second time in three seasons. The Crusaders came out with the right mentality, scored early and let the reserves get plenty of time in a 6-0 win Wednesday night.
“It was a hard loss on Monday, but it was nice to get back out there. We had a ton of fun, a lot of the girls who haven’t been able to play the last few playoff games got a lot of time,” LC senior co-captain Sarah Cooney said. “Some of us were able to get a break, we were able to stay loose and get ready for states.”
It was only a matter of when, not if, LC was going to score. The Crusaders began hammering the Rush net right away but the Public League champs held up well for the first few stages of the game. Eventually, LC’s constant pressure won out.
Senior Kate Henesey scored the game’s first two goals, the second a well-taken header off Taylor Connelly’s corner kick. Cooney also added a goal, again off a Connelly corner kick and Sarah Fitzpatrick got a tally when her shot off the left wing hit off the keeper’s hands and in.
At that point, the Crusaders had gone almost exclusively to reserves and most of the normal starters sat for the rest of the match.
“This is a necessary gateway to make it into the state tournament, and that’s the big prize,” LC coach Tom O’Donnell said. “It was a little bit tough (Tuesday) but we looked forward. This allowed us a lot of laughs, a lot of bonding, the all kids taking pictures. This is what you needed.”
LC added two players off the JV roster for Wednesday and both Emily Hopkins and Delany Molettiere saw plenty of time. Molettiere scored a nice goal late in the first half after Kellie Gillen kept a ball alive and it found Molettiere for a near-post volley.
Sophomore Lauren Delpo scored LC’s final goal early in the second half, with the Crusaders then dropping off to play more possession with limited shots the rest of the way.
“Our coach never wants to embarrass a team or embarrass ourselves because that can look bad both ways,” Cooney said. “He said it could get like this if we played the way we should be able to. We got the goals early we needed and we were able to hang back a little bit, but we still had some good possession and touches.”
O’Donnell credited Rush’s coaches and players for their positive attitudes and for the way they continued to work and enjoy the game despite the one-sided score.
The team that finished the game was all underclassmen and even while not really trying to score, O’Donnell still liked what he saw.
“I liked the way Delpo played, and she ended up getting a goal,” O’Donnell said. “Kristina Finkelston starts a lot and Caroline Cleary comes in off the bench. They handle themselves very well, they possess the ball, find the open player and knock it around.”
LC will face the third seed out of District 3, either Lampeter-Strasburg or Lower Dauphin. That will be decided on Thursday night with the first round of states set for next Tuesday.
THE LATE ADDITION
Lauren Crim is a key player for LC’s girls basketball and softball teams but she was also a soccer player not too long ago.
In fact, Crim played on a pretty good club team with Cooney and Henesey and it was her two longtime friends that kept pushing Crim to play soccer this fall. Initially a little hesitant because she didn’t want to risk an injury that would keep her out of her other sports, Crim realized it was an opportunity she wanted to take advantage of.
She was a late add, but has become just as key a player as she is in the winter and spring as the Crusaders’ goalkeeper.
“It’s been so fun, to get to the championship of the PCL was awesome,” Crim said. “We all played together from like third grade to right before high school. I thought this could be such a cool opportunity to win the PCL with some of my best friends.”
It was a lot of learning on the job for Crim, who played the field in club soccer. But as a well-rounded athlete, picking things up came pretty quick and the senior also credited LC assistant coach Jamie Lancaster and junior keeper Abby Shuster for their help.
Shuster and Crim split time in net during the regular season, with Crim taking over as the starter just before the postseason. Cooney said she and Henesey knew Crim was a good athlete and could handle the spot, but Crim still had some things to learn.
“Learning the diving movement was hard,” Crim said. “It’s hard to let your body just go to each side. We work on the high balls too. Also, it’s a factor when someone’s coming at you with the ball, you just have to react so quickly. It’s difficult but also fun.”
Crim said things started to click when LC played Ryan to a draw in the regular season and she had a really impressive kick save against the Ragdolls in the PCL final that the senior said is the best one she’s had this season.
A Chestnut Hill recruit in basketball, Crim has come up clutch a couple times during the postseason, especially in the quarterfinal and semifinal PCL rounds.
“Lauren made a big sacrifice but she’s played amazing, especially in the playoff games,” Cooney said. “She saved our butts a couple times and kept us in the game. Every time she makes a save, it’s a morale booster and it’s something we’re looking for.”
Playing soccer has introduced Crim to people she otherwise wouldn’t have talked to in school and she said it’s been a good change of pace. Adding a third sport to the mix has turned out to be more than she expected.
“I think people are sometimes too focused on one thing, I’ve gotten focused too much on one thing and it gets in my head,” Crim said. “To go out and do something I’ve never done, you don’t think too much and just play.”
