Late surge pushes Avon Grove past Bishop Shanahan
LONDON GROVE – It was a huge play, at a key moment, in a big contest.
And when you have two teams, loaded with players who are going to go on and play college lacrosse, it sounds almost too simple to say that the Avon Grove-Bishop Shanahan Ches-Mont showdown turned on one impactful play. But on Tuesday, that’s exactly what happened.
[FOR A PHOTO GALLERY FROM THE GAME BY PETE BANNAN, CLICK HERE]
Deadlocked on the scoreboard midway through the final period, Red Devils’ senior Joey Borcky stole a clearing pass deep in Eagles’ territory, and in a flash the ball was in the net. Avon Grove went on to score two more goals the rest of the way to finish off a 6-3 triumph over visiting Shanahan in an early season battle of unbeatens.
“That was fun … other than the final score,” said Eagles’ head coach Jon Heisman.
“It was two good teams really battling it out,” added Devils’ head coach Eric Jackson.
The theft and conversion by Borcky provided the game winner, but the impact of the play was magnified because scoring chances were so few and far between. Maybe the offenses are still trying to get into midseason form, but Tuesday’s clash quickly became a low-scoring battle between two of the better defensive teams in District 1.
“These are two great defenses,” Heisman said. “There are Division I kids all over the field back there.”
Now 4-0 in the Ches-Mont (5-0 overall), Avon Grove — the defending Class 3A State Champions – could very well be the team to beat in the league once again. The Devils have already topped 2A powers Shanahan (2-1, 3-1) and West Chester Henderson, but Downingtown East remains unblemished.
“We are always a work in progress,” Jackson acknowledged. “We are trying to get better every day and there were some things from this game that we need to clean-up.”
Avon Grove never trailed on Tuesday, but the Eagles knotted the score at 3-3 early in the fourth quarter on Kyle Gucwa’s third goal of the contest, off an assist from Connor Heisman. But just after goalie Nic Pezone made a save with 7:28 remaining in regulation, Shanahan’s transition attempt was completely disrupted by Borcky’s active stick.
“I just used my instincts and reacted. I don’t remember much about it except that I was hyped,” Borcky said.
“When you get a chance like that, you have to make it count,” Jackson added.
“It was big,” acknowledged Devils’ junior attacker Zach Augustine. “Joey makes a lot of plays like that. It was a big point in the game. They had just made a stop and then, bam. That goal really lifted our spirits and helped us finish the game strong.”
The sudden shift in momentum led to an insurance goal by Scooter Whiteside a few minutes later. But it wasn’t over until Devil’s goaltender Andrew Spencer made two clutch saves in the final 80 seconds of play. Jackson Muller then added an open-net goal in the closing seconds to wrap it up.
“Our kids played great and I’m proud of them,” Heisman said. “We just didn’t get it done at the end. It was 3-3 and we had the unfortunate turnover that killed us. We were tired and (the pass) got stolen.”
The Devils jumped out to an early lead thanks to a goal and an assist by Augustine in the opening five minutes of action. His pass set up a transition goal by teammate Jason Lengel, and then two minutes later the junior scored on a play from behind the cage.
The Eagles, however, stiffened on defense, and the only score the rest of the first half came from Gucwa, who got Shanahan on the board midway through the second period. Signed to play college ball at Division I Manhattan, Gucwa later made it 2-2 early in the second half, but Augustine took a pass from Whiteside and his tally made it 3-2 heading in to the final period.
“It’s definitely a game of momentum,” Jackson said. “There were times where we played an awful lot of defense. And that group played excellent. Andrew Spencer played very well.”
Specialist Nate Hammond won seven of 10 from the faceoff circle for Avon Grove, which turned out to be a big edge in a clash with so few face offs.
“We need these kinds of games,” Augustine said. “Facing adversity always seems to help in the long run.
“We haven’t hit our stride yet. We loved beating Shanahan but we have to get better. On offense, five or six goals a game is not even close to being good enough. We know we have to be better.”
For Shanahan, it was a disappointing outcome. But Heisman knows that if his squad can go toe-to-toe with a 3A power like the Devils, he may have enough to make a serious run in the 2A postseason.
“This was a great test for us to get ready,” he said. “We are looking to go far in districts and win a state title. I really believe we got in there and slugged with (Avon Grove) all the way. We are confident, we have a great group, and we’ll rebound.”
Avon Grove 6, Bishop Shanahan 3
Bishop Shanahan 0 1 1 3 — 3
Avon Grove 2 0 1 3 — 6
Bishop Shanahan goals: Gucwa 3.
Avon Grove goals: Augustine 2, Borcky, Lengel, Muller, Whiteside.
Goalie saves: Pezone (BS) 6; Spencer (AG) 6.
