Owen J. Roberts downs West Chester Rustin in District 1-3A playback to clinch fourth straight state trip

BUCKTOWN >> For Owen J. Roberts’ Eloise Gebert, Tuesday night was about redemption.
Disqualified from Saturday’s quarterfinal with top-seeded Harriton for accumulating a pair of yellow cards, Gebert could only watch as the Rams dominated her Wildcats, winning 10 of 11 second-half draws and turning a nail biter into a convincing Harriton victory.

“Saturday was frustrating,” Gebert admitted. “But that stuff happens. Tonight I just wanted to come or and show what I can do.”

Gebert did just that, returning to the field on a mission Tuesday, and in the process authored a piece of school history.

The eighth-seeded Wildcats will play in the PIAA 3A state tournament for the fourth consecutive year with Tuesday night’s 17-9 victory over No. 12 West Chester Rustin.

Hannah Delahaye led the Wildcats with six goals on the evening, but a balanced attack saw five different players with multiple goals as Rustin had no answers for the OJR attack.

“That’s the expectation, the norm—we have very talented offensive players, and anyone can explode for a big game,” said coach David Schlesinger.

For seniors like Gebert, it ensures that each season of their high school careers will conclude with a trip to the state tournament, the true hallmark of building not only a consistent District One qualifier, but a potential state powerhouse as well.

“It’s been such a great experience, so much talent these past few years,” said Gebert. “My freshman year was our first trip to states in a while—now it’s become an expectation.”

It may only be Schlesinger’s first year as coach, but he’s already well aware of the program’s expectations.

“We’ve already got a tremendous talent base, so there’s lots of excitement for the future as well,” he said. “I’m the fourth coach in five years, so developing continuity is also an emphasis.”

The Wildcats advance to a second playback game Thursday at Radnor to determine the fifth and sixth seeds out of a loaded District One field for the state tournament, which starts next Tuesday at sites to be determined.

After Rustin’s Grace Plona broke the ice a minute and a half into the contest, Gebert keyed a run of seven straight wins on draws (six controlled by Sophia Murray.)

Not so coincidentally, OJR also ignited a seven-goal run from that point. Hannah Delahaye and Gracyn Smith each registered a pair of tallies during the 11-minute run. By the time Plona scored again for the Knights at 12:13, OJR lead by a 7-2 score.

When Rustin was able to gain control, OJR defenders led by Maggie Kilgallon and Keira Weiss made life difficult for the Knights, cutting off passing and shooting lanes and keeping the lanes clear for goalie Cayden Jarvis (eight saves).

“Kilgallon’s been starting the whole season—I can use her anywhere on defense,” said Schlesinger. “Weiss—she’s a freshman who’s really stepped up in the past month. Great, quick feet, very smart—she’s going to be a great player.”

By the halftime break, OJR’s lead had grown to 10-4, with Maddi Koury and Charlotte Lasak joining Delahaye and Smith with two goals apiece.

The Wildcats were never seriously threatened after that. Delahaye closed out a hat trick 39 seconds into the second half, and five minutes later her fifth goal of the night also served as her 100th of the season.

Already committed to Towson University, Delahaye considers herself fortunate to have come to OJR as a sophomore and play on such a talented team.

“I’m just waiting for this next step in states,” she said. “I’m glad to get (the 100th goal) because next year, as a senior, I’ll have nothing to lose, no particular expectations—just go out and leave it all on the field.”

For the Golden Knights, a 16-5 season comes to an end just one game short of a return trip to states after the team qualified through playbacks last season.

High-scoring senior Ashley Chisholm closed out her Knights career with a four-goal performance, while Plona added four tallies of her own in the losing effort.

Rustin coach Mike St. Clair expressed optimism for the program’s future after Tuesday’s near-miss.

“In the preseason, I knew we’d have some strong seniors, and need some young players to step up. I guess I was right,” said St. Clair.

“The future is bright for our program. The third round of the playoffs isn’t a bad spot for it to end. We’ll miss this class of seniors, but they’re ready to move onto the next stage of their lives.”

The 16-4 Wildcats travel to Radnor Thursday to determine just where they’ll start their fourth straight trip to states.
“We want to win it. We want that ring,” said Gebert. “We liked the taste of it the first few times, but maybe in the past some people were just ready for the seasons to be over. Not this time. Not this team.”

NOTES >> The Wildcats wore the initials “EB” or “EV” on their wrists in honor of OJR senior Evangeline Barrett, who passed away last week.