Picozzi scores 100th goal, Lansdale Catholic rolls past Archbishop Wood

LANSDALE  >> Grace Picozzi was denied on a chance to score her 100^th career goal late in the first half.

But another opportunity came shortly after and the Lansdale Catholic girls lacrosse junior made sure that was the moment she reached the milestone.

The Crusaders forced a turnover off an Archbishop Wood clearance attempt, with Sam Beyerle corralling the ball and getting it to Picozzi, who found a path through the defense then ripped a shot into the top of the net to record No. 100 with 55 seconds left before halftime Tuesday.

“It was a quick drive in,” Picozzi said. “Great pass off of Sam.”

The goal set off a field-storming celebration and sent the LC into halftime of the Philadelphia Catholic League contest with a 16-7 lead. Picozzi added two more goals after the break in finishing with a game-high nine as the Crusaders rolled to a 21-8 victory over the visiting Vikings.

“I put in a lot of work,” Picozzi said. ”I feel like it really came from the team this game and just really exciting – means a lot to me.”

Lansdale Catholic found the back of the net early and often – Keira Trainer scoring just 11 seconds into the first half as the Crusaders raced out to an 11-0 lead. Trainer and Picozzi each provided four goals during the opening burst.

“Just coming out with a lot of energy,” said Picozzi, who also had three assists. “Just really hyping up the team – kind of knowing that we can do it, really working together.”

Trainer added five goals and three assists while Emily Simpson had a hat trick and also dished out four assists for the Crusaders (10-7, 8-2 PCL), who capped their regular season having won four of their last five.

“Prepping for today’s game, yesterday’s practice we worked on ground balls – honestly the basics,” LC first-year coach Jamie McCarney said. “Knowing that the basics, when we’re going into a tough game that is a must win if we want a seed at three (in the PCL playoffs) was working on the basics.”

“We did cradling, we did ground balls and then talking about the pregame – in the pregame it’s just about getting them excited, getting them in the right head space to be able to play some good lacrosse.”

Beyerle had two goals and an assist, Alex Frick scored twice and Kate Fredrickson collected a pair of assists for Lansdale Catholic, which as the third seed hosts a Catholic League first round game Monday against the No. 6 seed – either Wood or St. Hubert.

“We started off a little rough in the beginning, being a first-year coach, having a team that didn’t really have a stable coach,” said McCarney, who played field hockey and lacrosse at Gwynedd Mercy University. “Trying to teach them the culture and the basics of this level of lacrosse, but coming through midseason, really amped it up and picked it up.”

After LC jumped out to an 11-0 lead, Archbishop Wood (5-7, 5-4) scored the next three goals and later cut the margin to seven when Cate DeGraw scored to make it 13-6 with 2:50 left in the first half. But that was a close as the Vikings could get as they dropped their second straight.

“Definitely hard when a team starts out strong and puts a lot of points on the board,” Wood coach Emily Hawkins said. “It’s hard to come back from that but I do give it to the team, I think we did chip away at it. We had a strong run there where we had a lot of goals in a row. And I still think even though the outcome isn’t what we wanted, I still think we improved on a lot of things.”

DeGraw, Madysin Woertz and Tess Waltrich all scored two goals for Wood, which visits St. Hubert 3:45 p.m. Thursday.

Picozzi reaching triple digits in goals continues her family’s tradition of athletic success at Lansdale Catholic. Brothers Vince and Nick were football standouts, her sister Mary the same at softball with Grace – one of nine siblings – finding her calling on the lacrosse field.

“Softball for me was not quick enough cause I like to run,” she said. “So this is my sport for sure.”

After assisting on a Trainer tally that put LC up 3-0 at 23:57, Picozzi scored back-to-back goals to make it 5-0 at 20:15. Picozzi struck for her third at 19:41 to give the Crusaders a seven-goal edge.

“Just quick, being really deceptive with the shots,” Picozzi said. “Fakes were really big cause they have a decent goalie, she definitely steps out, pressures you, so got to be quick.”

Two straight Trainer goals made it 11-0 before Grace Hoeger finally put the Vikings on the scoreboard. Goals from Woertz and Waltrich made it 11-3.

Wood cut the Crusaders’ lead to 13-6 on consecutive goals from Woertz and DeGraw but Simpson scored at 2:18 while Picozzi followed with her sixth goal 10 seconds later. Haley Lawyer scored off a DeGraw assist to get Wood within eight at 1:52.

A chance for Picozzi to collect goal No. 100 on a drive down the middle was saved by Wood keeper Anna Waltrich. LC, however, caused a turnover and Picozzi took advantage to hit the century mark.

“I rely on Grace as one of my junior captains,” McCarney said. “She’s an outstanding player but a better person.”

The Crusaders extended their lead to 18-7 after the break with goals from Trainer and Simpson before Tess Waltrich tallied Wood’s lone goal of the second half. After Frick made it 19-8 Picozzi scored the game’s final two goals.