Mitchell scores six in defensive battle, leads Great Valley past West Chester East

EAST WHITELAND >> If this league opener is any indication, it is going to be a boy’s lacrosse season filled with hard hits and physical play in the Ches-Mont.

West Chester East and Great Valley traded plenty of blows on Wednesday. But in the end, the host Patriots benefitted from some stellar play from standouts like Brady Mitchell, Daniel Siaton and Nick Mort, and pulled away late for a defensive-minded 8-4 triumph over the Vikings.

“We anticipated that this was going to be a physical battle, so we were ready,” said Mitchell, a senior midfielder.

“I can’t ask any more of players like Daniel, Nick and Brady,” added Great Valley head coach Ben Walton. “Pardon the cliché, but they literally carried the team on their back at times.

“We’re just lucky to have players like that on this team – they always seem to have an answer.”

In a clash where goals were hard to come by, Mitchell was outstanding as he scored his team’s first four, on his way to six goals. And Mort – also a senior – was pretty darn good too in goal, turning aside 10 of 14 shots on goal by East (0-2 overall). Great Valley improves to 3-0.

“I don’t know how long it’s been since we’ve gotten off to a 3-0 start here, but it’s been at least six years since I’ve been here,” Walton pointed out. “So this start gives our guys the confidence that we can win games with the guys we have.”

Mitchell dominated the first half with goals late in both the first and second periods. And then he added two more goals in the third to put the Patriots comfortably ahead 4-0.

“I told our guys we haven’t earned the right to look past anybody,” Walton said. “I think (West Chester East) kind of caught us by surprise with the physicality in the first half.

“We had to dig deep to match them.”

The Vikings got back into contention in a hurry, however, with a goal by sophomore Nolan Schemmer, and then a faceoff win and another tally by teammate Ryan Devletian just nine seconds later. And when Schemmer scored again in the first minute of the fourth quarter, it was 4-3.

“I am proud of our guys for matching (Great Valley’s) intensity and playing hard,” said East head coach Matt McCormick.

But 38 seconds after that, Siaton scored what wound up being the game-winner. Mitchell added two more goals, and senior Hayden Darabant one, for the Pats the rest of the way.

“We had a couple penalties late and kind of shot ourselves in the foot,” McCormick acknowledged. “There were also a couple failed clears that led to goals in the fourth (quarter) and those are killers.”

Siaton and senior Andy Talone each finished with two assists for Great Valley. Schemmer and Devletion, a senior defender, paced the Vikings with two goals apiece.

“There were a lot of checks, the penalties were flying – it was definitely tough to get to the goal tonight,” Mitchell said.

“Kudos to Great Valley’s defense – they made it hard for our offense to get going,” McCormick added. “Shots on goal were tough to get.”

Goaltender Max Dungan wound up with 14 saves, and the junior kept East within striking distance until the final six minutes of regulation.

“We have a couple guys (Mitchell and Siaton) who shoulder a lot of the load on offense,” Walton said. “A well-coached team like East made it a little harder for us, so we had make some adjustments and get into some sets we aren’t completely comfortable with yet.”

So far the Patriots have outscored three opponents (Exeter, Central Bucks South and East) 36-18. And along the way, Great Valley is starting to gain more confidence.

“We are trying to put Great Valley on the map,” Mitchell said. “We’re kind of the underdog coming in, but I think we are on an upward trajectory.”

Great Valley 8, West Chester East 4   

 W.C. East                             0 0 2 2 — 4

Great Valley                         1 1 2 4 — 8

W.C. East goals: Schemmer 2, Devletian 2.

Great Valley goals: Mitchell 6, Siaton, Darabant.

Goalie saves: Dungan (WCE) 14; Mort (GV) 10.