District 1 Class 2A Girls Lacrosse: Raech’s defense a plus for Strath Haven
NETHER PROVIDENCE — McKenzie Raech sure is happy that she and her family made the decision to return to Strath Haven after her sophomore year.
Raech was a standout in field hockey and lacrosse as a freshman at Strath Haven during the 2017-18 school year. But she spent her sophomore year at Cardinal O’Hara with her older sister, Emily, who was a junior at the time.
Back at Strath Haven, McKenzie Raech is a defensive star for the No. 2 Panthers, who advanced to the District 1 Class 2A final with a 17-10 victory over third-seeded Mount St. Joseph Tuesday evening. Raech scooped up three ground balls and caused a turnover, but she did plenty of other things that don’t necessarily show up in the scorebook.
Raech now has the opportunity to capture a District 1 title alongside friends she grew up with in the Wallingford School District. The Panthers, who’ve already clinched a berth in the PIAA tournament, will take on No. 1 Bishop Shanahan in Thursday’s final.
“I knew it was right to come back and I’m really glad I did because this season has honestly been the best,” she said.
Panthers coach Pigeon Graham is glad Raech decided to come home.
“Kenz wasn’t here sophomore year and came back to us last year, when of course we didn’t have a season. So, she’s just the missing link that we needed down on defense,” Graham said. “She’s got the hustle, she’s got the confidence with her stick skills, bringing the ball out of our defensive end. And talk about never-say-die attitude, she fights for everything and she’s very tough. She’s cleaned up her defense, too. She used to be a very physical player and would get fouls a lot, but now she’s kind of still physical but she’s found a way to play straight-up and it’s really turned it around for her.”
Raech, Olivia Fox and Annie Atsaves led a spectacular defensive effort by the Panthers, who received solid goalkeeping from Erin Spaulding (five saves). The Mount’s Devon McGarvey was a handful, but Haven’s defense kept her quiet for most of the night, especially after McGarvey netted back-to-back goals to give the Magic a brief 2-1 lead.
“In the beginning we knew we had to watch out for her but then once we saw that she was kind of their top player, we had to make adjustments and I think we did well with that,” Raech said.
And then the “D & D” girls took over for the Panthers. Danielle McNeely and Devon Maillet fueled a dynamic offensive attack that ripped off 11 unanswered goals to end the first half. McNeely posted five goals (all in the first half) and three assists, but her dominant performance on the draw turned the tide for the Panthers. McNeely couldn’t be stopped, picking up 12 draw controls.
“I don’t necessarily put pressure on myself because I have trust in the other middies, and it definitely helps having them and knowing they are there supporting me and helping me, whether I win it or lose it,” McNeely said.
Maillet registered four goals, five draw controls and two ground balls. She also caused a turnover and helped feed McNeely on one of her five tallies.
“We’re still playing, which is great because not many teams are playing this time of the year,” Maillet said. “I think we’ve really worked hard all season and we’ve worked our butts off to get to this point in the season.”
Laura Conner produced four goals, two ground balls and two caused turnovers for the Panthers (16-4). Kaitlin Nieczpiel added a goal and four draw controls.
After playing a grueling schedule in the Central League, the Panthers are brimming with confidence going into Thursday’s district final.
“I think we just need to play as a team and have trust in each other and I think we can come out with the win,” Raech said. “We have to come out strong and end strong. Most teams are either a first-half team or a second-half team, but we’re a team that plays full games.”
McGarvey netted a game-high six goals for the Magic, who will play Villa Maria in the third-place game Thursday.
