Ciancio’s pick and roll earns Fords a win

HAVERFORD — You couldn’t blame Mia Ciancio for taking a chance in overtime Tuesday night.

Her Haverford lacrosse team saw a two-goal lead disappear late in regulation, requiring two clutch saves from Lauren Johns to even send the Fords to the extra period. They then chased Ridley for two minutes in the attacking half when the Green Raiders controlled the draw and tried to kill clock on two yellow cards.

So after the teams traded turnovers and Ridley looked to rush upfield, Ciancio figured she’d dip her stick into a passing lane and see if she caught anything.

“I was like, I guess I’m going to go for it, and it was there,” the Fords midfielder said. “Sometimes it works out in your favor, and that’s basically what happened. It was mostly lucky.”

Mostly, but more than a little skill went into the finish, Ciancio burying a low shot to the far post for the winner in an 8-7 overtime decision.

Ciancio’s goal settled a back-and-forth affair of teams mired in the middle of the Central League. Haverford led 7-5 with nine minutes left on a Ciancio goal, the fourth straight from the Fords (5-9, 3-6) to recoup a two-goal halftime deficit.

But Ridley (4-10, 3-6) was not done. Corrinne Stratton scored with 7:03 left, then after Marcianna Tavani stoned Carly Gannon on the doorstep after a long Haverford possession, the sophomore goalie led a rush and found Stratton, who tied it with 1:09 remaining for her fourth goal.

Ridley had two looks in the final minute. But Johns fought off an eight-meter shot by Sydney Zimmerman (who drew a yellow on the ensuing battle for the ball), then the goalie caught a Stratton attempt at the horn (which garnered the Ridley attacker a dangerous follow-through yellow).

The reset at the break – with Haverford living dangerously and Ridley short two players – was unusual.

“It’s a lot to handle,” Haley Adam said. “You have to stay composed and think of what would be the best option for your team. I think that overall, we handled it OK. There definitely could’ve been better opportunities that we could’ve taken, but I think overall we played a really good team game.”

Mia Ciancio wins it in OT. Final: @HPrideAthletics 8, Ridley 7 pic.twitter.com/XTISO6JvN2

— Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd) May 1, 2019

“It’s really important for us after every play, if it’s either offense or defense, to come together as a defense and connect and just talk about what we needed to do to manage emotions,” Johns said, “and to make sure we’re ready for the next play and in control.”

Both goalies exerted that control. Tavani, a sophomore, made seven saves. She turned aside three eight-meter shots, and her fearlessness to push the ball upfield was crucial.

“She is definitely one of the best goalies I’ve ever played with, and that is amazing,” Adam said. “I think she has a lot of potential.”

PHOTO GALLERY: Ridley vs. Haverford

Johns, meanwhile, occupied valuable real estate in the minds of Ridley shooters. The Green Raiders attempted 18 shots in the first half, and their desire to opt for power instead of hitting the net was obvious, pressing to find the precious and fleeting space around Johns, who made 10 saves.

“Once I have a couple of shots and I start to feel out where it is, I get more comfortable with their shots,” Johns said. “Hopefully through that, they start to make mistakes or I start to make more saves.”

“We were really trying to rip and place our shots as we’re putting some power behind it,” said Adam, who recorded a hat trick. “I think in the first couple of minutes, we were just ripping shots to rip them, and then we finally got focused and realized, ‘OK we can’t just rip it. We have to place our shots and stay composed.’ I think once we were staying composed, placing our shots, taking the best opportunities, that’s when we started to score.”

… sets up this Stratton goal. Ties at 7. 1:09 left. pic.twitter.com/IxuREBUZWG

— Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd) May 1, 2019

Ridley won the draw in OT, which led to a lot of running with possession awaiting the release of Zimmerman and Stratton. When they got out, the Haverford defense fell back and did what it did most of the night: Caused turnovers, this one via Amy Gannon.

“They were crazy tonight,” Johns said of her defense. “I can’t do it without them. They were really on it. The really huge things about making saves is that if I don’t have a defense, it’s 100 percent harder, so I really give it to them.”

Ridley’s defense responded, with Julianne Capozzoli scooping a turnover, but Ciancio cut that possession short. Willa Hetznecker earned an eight-meter but fired wide, setting up Ciancio to dash in from the top of the area, sweeping left to right and firing against the grain to beat Tavani low inside the opposite post for her third goal of the night.

“Just relief,” Ciancio said. “One that it’s over, and two just the win was nice, to have a win for once and the fact that it wasn’t just me, it was the whole team.”

Also in the Central League:

Radnor 17, Lower Merion 4 >> Ellie Mueller scored four goals, and Cate Cox dished five assists to go with a pair of tallies as the Raiders rolled. Tori DiCarlo, Annie Burton and Kate Hartnett scored twice each for Radnor (10-4, 8-1).

Garnet Valley 20, Strath Haven 7 >> Madi McKee collected four goals, two assists and seven draw controls, and Kathryn Toohey and Kara Nealon each recorded hat tricks for the Jags (14-1, 8-1).

Harriton 16, Springfield 11 >> Alyssa Long scored four times, Julie Schickling added a hat trick and Rachel Conran filled in at goal with five saves, but the Cougars (10-5, 6-3) couldn’t climb out of a 6-0 hole.

Conestoga 18, Upper Darby 4 >> Violet Lange scored twice, but the Royals couldn’t slow down the Pioneers.

In the Inter-Ac League:

Episcopal Academy 12, Agnes Irwin 11 >> Olivia Dirks scored three times and added two assists, and Caroline Burt and Devon Whitaker each notched hat tricks as the Churchwomen (16-0, 8-0) took a step closer to an Inter-Ac title. Gianna Cilluffo made eight saves.

Marissa White and Emily Wills each registered hat tricks for Agnes Irwin (14-5, 6-3). Natalie Pansini added two goals and an assist, and Paige Crowther turned aside 10 shots.

Notre Dame 17, Germantown Academy 8 >> Mikayla Dever was in a giving mood with four assists, and Georgia Gorelick was a prime beneficiary with four goals. Claire Gola added a hat trick for the Irish (10-3, 6-2).

In the Catholic League:

Archbishop Carroll 16, Archbishop Wood 2 >> Madison Henry and Kiley Mottice scored four times each, and Karli Dougherty and Nicole Pawelec dished three assists apiece to go with a goal as the Patriots (11-3, 9-0) romped.

Bonner & Prendergast 25, Bishop McDevitt 7 >> Lindsey Fagan (nine goals, two assist, 11 draw controls) lit up the scoreboard, and Maggie Blemings added five goals and four assists for the Pandas.

In the Del Val League:

Interboro 22, Penn Wood 4 >> Brianna Maddonni and Morgan Reed scored four goals apiece, and Noelle McGinnis and Marissa Mullan added hat tricks for the Bucs.

Dynia Jones and Tahlib Meriet scored for the Patriots.

In the Ches-Mont League:

Kennett 24, Sun Valley 6 >> Tali Carotenuto notched a hat trick, and Abby Seasock paired two goals with two assists for the Vanguards.