Girls Lacrosse: Conestoga overcomes Garnet Valley’s strong defensive effort

CONCORD — If you’re going to allow the Conestoga girls lacrosse team to control something like 14 of 17 draws, generally speaking, it’s going to be a long day at the office.

But the fact that Garnet Valley was on the wrong side of that figure yet still led the Pioneers past the midpoint of the second half in their Central League tilt Tuesday is an indication of how cohesive and aggressive its defense can be.

All that defending eventually took a toll, Piper Kienzle’s goal with 8:31 to play finally putting the reigning PIAA Class 3A champions up for good in a 9-7 win at Moe DeFrank Stadium. But the long stretches over which the Jaguars successfully stymied Stoga speak to a significant building block this season.

“I think it’s a little challenging, but we practice enough,” GV midfielder Mia Zebley said. “We all believe in each other defensively. We have the stamina and know we can sub out people if we need to. So I think just staying together through the hard times really works for us.”

It was just too much defending, ultimately. It’s hard to allow Conestoga’s stable of midfield dynamos to monopolize the ball and expect they won’t make you pay. With Kate Galica corralling eight draws and Chloe Brown and Kiki Liebezeit grabbing three each, the Pioneers (9-1, 5-0 Central) had the chance to control the pace of the game.

Instead, seven different Jaguars caused turnovers, led by Sammy Wood’s four and Jenny Green’s three. Coupled with the Jaguars (6-4-1, 3-2) effectively face-guarding Galica and Liebezeit, they managed to frustrate Conestoga in a way few teams have over the last couple of years.

“It’s a different defense to play against, to get used to,” Galica said. “… It’s big to stretch the field on a D like that, because when they’re in a five-person zone, you have to spread out. That’s different between other defenses, that the more you spread out on this one, the more you’ll beat it.”

Galica, the all-everything Virginia commit, still got hers, with a hat trick and an assist. Her ability to corral a feed from freshman Carolyn Jones and finish in traffic with 11:14 left to play tied the game.

Galica’s primary source of offense in the first half was transition, often straight from the draw. But from the time she fed Jones on a clinical fastbreak to tie the game at 4 with 5:54 left in the first half, Garnet Valley adjusted to mute that threat.

“I think just talking and making sure we slow the ball so they don’t get an easy layup,” said Green, one of the most effective Jags at clogging midfield. “I think the first couple of runs when they did try that, we realized we needed to slow the ball down and learn from our mistakes of what we can do better.”

Liebezeit was limited to one goal, an insurance tally with 2:20 to play. Defender Ashley Burkett, tasked with shadowing Liebezeit, mostly got the better of her matchup. The feeding ability of Jones helped turn the tide, as did a goal and helper from Natalie Yarmark.

Garnet Valley was equally patient on offense, albeit by choice, not wanting to turn it into a track meet. Zebley scored twice in the first half, including on an eight-meter shot with 2:06 left while absorbing a card-worthy check to the face from Galica to make it 5-4 at half. Maddie Shoemaker added two goals, with a sidewinder of an eight-meter shot to counter Ellie Wisch’s tally and tie the game at six. Mia Raucci’s second goal of the game, a signature solo sortie up the gut, put GV up 7-6 with 12:09 left.

But Galica answered within 53 seconds. Conestoga goalie Alex Lepore had only one save to make in the second half, but it was a dandy, kicking out a Zebley free-position bid to tie the game with six and a half minutes to play. Liebezeit grabbed the ensuing GB, and Garnet Valley didn’t see the ball again.

While the focus was on Tuesday’s regular-season encounter, the reality of such league rivalries is clear. These teams could end up meeting two more times; last year, a reunion came in the PIAA semifinal, which Conestoga won, 6-5.

There’s always something to learn from such a tight game, to file away for possible use down the road.

“It’s important to see what works now, so when we look back on it, we can see what we should try to do different, what we should keep the same,” Zebley said. “But just making sure that we stay with each other. If we see them again, it could be a different outcome, so it’s just keeping with it.”

Also in the Central League:

Springfield 18, Lower Merion 8 >> Erin DeStefano pumped home seven goals, and Maddie Kane paired four goals with two assists to keep the Cougars (10-0, 5-0) unbeaten. Kylee O’Donnell added a hat trick.

Penncrest 12, Radnor 11 >> Kat Harding’s goal in the final minute led the Lions to a win over Radnor.

Kate Stanton and Adisyn Bernhart scored four goals each for Penncrest.

Ridley 9, Marple Newtown 7 >> Abby Axe (two goals, two assists) and Nadia Henkel (two goals, one assist) led a balanced Green Raiders attack. Callie Bryan also scored twice, and Grace DeCarolis made 10 saves.

Lizzie Getz led six Tigers scorers with a pair of markers.

In the Inter-Ac League:

Episcopal Academy 5, Agnes Irwin 4 >> Quinn Whitaker led a superlative defensive game with four caused turnovers and four groundballs, and Grace Holland made five saves for the Churchwomen. Lex Ventresca paced the offense with two goals and an assist. Maura Irish added a goal and a helper.

Caroline Chisholm and Hunter Fleitas scored twice each for AIS. Maggie Mullen turned aside eight shots. Ella Springer dished three assists.

Springside Chestnut Hill 18, Notre Dame 7 >> Anya Dunn scored twice and Maeve Seeger paired a goal with four ground balls for the Irish.

In the Ches-Mont League:

Downingtown West 16, Sun Valley 9 >> Alena Catka scored seven goals and assisted on one of Riley Basht’s pair of tallies, but it wasn’t enough for the Vanguards.

In the Catholic League:

Bonner & Prendergast 17, St. Hubert 0 >> Abigail Blemings powered the offense with four goals and two assists. Leila George added three goals and two assists, and MaryKate Cappiello supplied three goals and a helper.

Cardinal O’Hara 16, Archbishop Ryan 2 >> Claire Natoli buried seven goals to go with three assists, and Carley Smith supplied four goals and two helpers as the Lions rolled. Maddie Sharkey contributed three goals and three assists.