Rama scores 6, Moore reaches 100 goals as Upper Dublin tops Springfield-Montco

UPPER DUBLIN >> After Mack Moore scored her 99th career goal on a free-position shot, collecting No. 100 felt like it was never going to come Monday afternoon for the Upper Dublin girls lacrosse junior.

“When you’re in that position and you know that you’re one goal away, it’s hard to put it in for some reason,” Moore said. “I just couldn’t get it on the cage, the goalie was stopping a lot,”

But after a number of chances, the Colorado commit finally reached career triple digits with 73 seconds left before halftime of the Cardinals’ SOL American Conference matchup with Springfield-Montco, as Becky Browndorf came around the net and found the cutting Moore to put Upper Dublin up 11-4.

“Felt good,” Moore said. “I felt glad that it was like over with. Becky was there for me though and she knew I wanted it so she helped me out the whole time.”

After tallying her second goal of the afternoon, leg cramps knocked Moore out for the rest or the contest but the Cardinals were able to hold off a few Spartan charges in the second half and come away with a 15-10 victory.

“She’s worked very hard for it so I’m glad she did get that over with and she just didn’t feel well so we were able to sit her, luckily, and other people stepped up big time to help us,” Upper Dublin coach Dee Cross said. “Because that’s a big midfielder right there we don’t have for the whole second half. So we were glad Julia Eustace came in and some young girls, we had some freshmen in there and they all just did what we asked them to do.”

Jackie Rama finished with a game-high six goals, four coming as the Cardinals (4-3, 2-0 conference) jumped out an 8-1 lead. Jenn McCarry added three goals while Moore and Julia Reardon both scored twice for UD, which has won three straight and four of its last five.

“We were happy with how quick we came out because we were playing some different people,” Cross said. “We’re still trying to figure out our lineup and who really wants to play and be dedicated to the team, so that’s always an issue. But I thought the girls we had on the field today played 100 percent, worked well together so we’ll just take one game at a time. But we’re very pleased with the effort.

“It’s a game of swings. Lacrosse is always a game of momentum and Springfield never backed down and knew they wouldn’t.”

Springfield (3-2, 0-2) scored three straight to pull within 8-4 with 3:44 before halftime but Upper Dublin responded by posting the half’s final three goals to go up seven at the break.

The Spartans collected the second half’s first two goals to make it 11-6 with 19:13 remaining, but Rama came from around the net for her fifth at 18:07. Goals by Reardon and McCarry pushed UD’s advantage to 14-6 with 14:20 left. For there, the closest Springfield could cut the margin to was on Maddie Yoder’s goal to make it 15-10 with 5:52.

“Something we’ve been working off, even from transitioning last year, is when we get ourselves in holes knowing that we’re capable of getting out of them and then getting out of them and then keeping it up,” Springfield coach Maggie Canavan said. “So, I’m very happy with what they did today.”

Yoder had a team-high four goals for the Spartans, which dropped their second straight. Emily Smith had three goals while Ella Marino found the back of the net twice.

“I think them learning that we’re going down five, six goals, seven goals at a time and realizing that, hey, we can get out of it and we just got to keep ourselves out of it,” Canavan said. “We can’t keep digging these holes because we’re capable of getting out of them and they know that.”

Rama scored Monday’s first two goals, her second coming on a free-position strike at 22:36 with Allie Rock making it 3-0 Cardinals 23 seconds later.

“Jackie has a nose for the goal,” said Cross of Rama. “She’s been injured a lot and for her to come out here, we gave her a specific goal, she takes the draw for us then drops back. Every game she’s getting better and every game she’s getting more confident and back to where she was her freshman year which we’re very happy about because we need her in there.”

Yoder put the Spartans on the scoreboard at 19:45 but Upper Dublin proceeded to collect the next five goals. Mack assisted on McCarry’s strike to make it 5-1 at 17:29 then after Rama and Reardon tallies, Mack posted career goal No. 99 on a free-position shot at 6:20.

“I think that was my problem, usually I don’t even care if I score, I just want to play for my team, I just want to win,” said Moore of the pressure of reaching 100 goals of the day. “But today it was like I just want to get the ball in the back of the net. That’s never my mindset to score for myself but it was today.”

Rama put the Cardinals up 8-1 at 6:05 before Smith stopped the UD surge at 5:46. Goals by Lauren Corrado and Marino — the later on a free-position shot — had Springfield within 8-4 but Upper Dublin ended the half with a 3-0 run on goals by McCarry, Browndorf and Moore.

Marino converted a free-position shot at 21:34 in the second half while Yoder’s tally at 19:13 made it 11-6 but the Cardinals responded with another three-goal burst. Rama collected the first at 18:07 with Reardon scoring off a Browndorf assist at 16:01. McCarry bounced a shot into the net at 14:20 for a 14-6 lead.

Rama scored her sixth on a free-position shot at 7:57 to put Upper Dublin up eight again at 15-7 before Springfield scored the game’s final three goals.