Slow start dooms Bishop Shanahan in semifinal loss to Carroll
LONDON GROVE >> It had all of the makings of a state title game – and maybe it should have been.
But the bracket pitted District 1 champion Bishop Shanahan against District 12 titlist Archbishop Carroll in the PIAA 2A Girls Lacrosse Semifinal on Tuesday at Avon Grove. The unbeaten Patriots went on to ride a hot start to a methodical 8-4 triumph over the Eagles, but it certainly wasn’t easy.
“It probably should have been the final, but that’s the way the brackets go,” said Shanahan head coach Kacy Small. “It is kind of crazy the brackets are set up the way they are – it’s like a prehistoric thing that is based on regions rather than seeding.
“Carroll is the No. 1 seed in this area and we are No. 2. Maybe we should have seen each other (in the final), but we would have had to face them at some point.”
Despite ending the season with a 20-5 record, the Eagles went deeper in the state tournament than any team in program history. It was the capper to a campaign that included successfully defending both the Ches-Mont and the district crown.
“This senior class knew how special it felt last season to win our first league the district titles, so we just wanted to push that and go even further in states,” said senior standout Ellie Udo.
“We knew the road would lead to Archbishop Carroll, and we just wanted to get to this game,” Small added. “We’ve taken the program further every season I’ve been here. This outcome isn’t what we wanted but we gained valuable experience for the program as a whole.”
Archbishop Carroll (23-0 overall) advances to the state title game and will meet the Strath Haven-Twin Valley winner on Thursday at West Chester East. Shanahan and the Patriots tangled two months ago in the regular season, with Carroll winning 11-8.
“Our game with them during the regular season helped us understand that aren’t big, bad, undefeated Archbishop Carroll. We were actually leading that game 6-4 at one point,” Small pointed out.
“This one was lower scoring because we haven’t played any close games in the postseason until today,” said Pats’ senior attacker Emma Talago. “This was our biggest competition so far. It was a great game. Shanahan played hard the whole way.”
The big difference, of course, was when Carroll reeled off a six goal spurt in a frenzied eight-minute stretch of the first half. The Eagles scored four of the last six goals, but the early deficit was a death blow.
“We got looks early in our first three possessions and (Carroll’s) goalie (Bridget Robinson) made a couple saves that were big. It could have been like 6-3 at the half. When we were down 7-4 with about seven minutes left, two or three goals from the first half would have been great.”
Following a scoreless first 10-plus minutes of action, the Patriots’ Machaela Henry scored, and it seemed to open the floodgates. Over the course of the next 8:13 Carroll notched five more goals, with Talago leading the way with two goals and two assists.
“We started to control the ball and started picking (Shanahan’s) defense apart until they adjusted to what we were doing,” Talago said.
Udo finally stopped the bleeding with a goal just inside the four minute mark, but the Eagles trailed 6-1 at the half. Udo then scored again to start the second half, and then assisted on a goal by teammate Sophia Lymberis. And when junior midfielder Caitlyn Hubiak scored in transition, the Eagles cut the margin to 7-4 with 6:44 to go.
“We have experience coming back,” Udo said. “The previous game we were down 9-3 at the half and came back (to beat York Catholic 11-10).”
Shanahan never got a chance to get closer, however, as Henry won several key draws, Carroll added a late goal and then ran out the clock.
“We went into this game like any other – strictly business. We came up a little short, but credit to Carroll. They are a great team,” Udo said.
“We didn’t get the start we wanted, but these girls are amazing, and quitting is just not in their makeup,” Small added. “I knew we wouldn’t do that, especially after the previous round.
“It just became a matter of generating enough possessions. (Carroll) did very well with the draw and they obviously were patient on offense.”
The Patriots wound up winning 10 of 15 draws and had a 14-8 shots on goal advantage. Junior keeper Allie Hathaway had five of her six saves in the second half to help keep the Eagles in the game. She became the starter in the earlier Carroll contest when senior goalie Cece Neuman was knocked out with an injury.
For Udo, it was her final outing with Shanahan. She is headed to Brown University on a lacrosse scholarship.
“This team is special and I’ve loved spending every single day with them,” she said.
“Ellie’s meant the world to this program since she was a freshman,” Small added. “She is a four-year starter, and that’s not an easy thing to do. She is a big part of the foundation.
“And this has been a great year. An unbelievable year. It’s not easy to win Ches-Mont and District 1 championships and we’ve done it two years in a row.”
Archbishop Carroll 8, Bishop Shanahan 4
Archbishop Carroll 6 2 — 8
Bishop Shanahan 1 3 — 4
Archbishop Carroll goals: Henry 2, C. Bleckley, Talago 2, McConaghy 2, Hippert.
Bishop Shanahan goals: Udo 2, Lymberis, Hubiak.
Goalie saves: Robinson (AC) 4. Hathaway (BS) 6.
