Girls Lacrosse: Penncrest responds to wakeup call to top Ridley, ready for playoffs
RIDLEY TWP. — The Penncrest sideline wasn’t exactly a warm and fuzzy place to be at halftime Tuesday.
Yes, the Lions were up three goals on Ridley. But in the regular-season finale for both teams, the gaze had shifted. With one eye on the present and one on the future, the way the Lions played in the opening 25 minutes wasn’t a recipe for success when the games start to really matter in the District 1 playoffs next week, which coach Caitlin Morgan expressed to her group.
“It’s more of a wakeup call, that we all needed to pick it up – better communication, better sliding,” defender Mira Kuttymartin said. “We were leaving some girls in the middle, and we adjusted really well to that in the second half.”
The message was heeded by the Lions, six straight goals bridging halftime stretching the lead to as high as 10 in an 18-11 win over the Green Raiders. But for a Lions team whose aspirations are growing, there’s more at stake in the coming weeks.
Penncrest (15-3, 9-2 Central League) sat sixth in the District 1 Class 3A rankings entering Tuesday. The Lions are in line for a first-round bye and are vying for a state berth out of District 1. In a season where they’ve beaten Garnet Valley and Radnor, they’re hoping to push the program to new heights. Though they made states in 2018 in Class 2A, being a contender in the larger classification is a significant jump.
“Our team is definitely the best that it’s been over the years that I’ve been here,” said attacker Kate Stanton, who led the way with six goals. “I feel like the shift in talent in our team has definitely raised the expectations for us and our coaches. And it’s just challenged us to work harder … and expect better than Penncrest has ever been.”
A team like Ridley (11-7, 5-6) is of the ilk that the Lions could face in the first two rounds of districts. The Green Raiders entered 21st in the district, likely to qualify for the 24-team tournament. And they showed traits that indicate they’ll be a tough out.
They got within 6-5 with five minutes left in the first half on goals by Abby Axe and Callie Bryan. They got nine saves from Grace DeCarolis in goal, the program’s all-time saves leader making seven denials in the first half. They showed the athleticism and combativeness to make Penncrest work for what it got.
“We were feeling really good at halftime, really up, the vibes were high. In that first half, it was kind of all gas, no brakes for us,” Axe said. “Being a younger team, we are having a hard time being consistent, we find. So heading into playoffs, we’re just trying to find that sense of balance where we can play a whole game instead of dipping up and down.”
Penncrest eventually imposed its will. Kathlene Flebbe and Katilyn Roth scored before the break to make it 8-5, the Lions tilting the field and forcing four late saves from DeCarolis or it could’ve been more lopsided.
‘She’s awesome,” Axe said of her goalie. “I have no idea where we’d be without her. She’s our rock, she brings us together, she gets us dialed in.”
Lylah Pompetti and Reese Bigler added goals out of the halftime break. From there, the downhill attacking force of Stanton (six goals, two assists) and Kathryn Harding (two goals, assist) took control. The Lions dominated possession, winning 20 of 31 draws thanks to Roth and Harding with six DCs each.
“I think a lot was settling down in transition rather than trying to run-and-gun it,” Stanton, a Penn commit, said. “It was being able to place our shots and waiting for the second or third cuts rather than forcing it to the middle like we were in the first half.”
The lead would stretch to 17-7 before Penncrest’s starters exited. Roth tallied a hat trick, and Bigler and Cara Childs added two goals each.
Ridley felt it made progress in its “play for May” slogan, Axe and her mates wanting to be peaking for playoffs. Axe had four goals and two assists, though she wasn’t able to orchestrate from behind the cage until late in the second half. Bryan, Kasey O’Neil and Nadia Henkel scored twice each.
Penncrest likewise has its eyes down the road. Making adjustments under pressure to play closer to its potential is a good sign for the task ahead.
“Districts have been in the back of our mind for a while now,” Kuttymartin said. “And we’re constantly building and learning in each of the games to work toward districts and apply ourselves.”
Also in the Central League:
Springfield 14, Marple Newtown 8 >> Maddie Kane accounted for three goals and three assists as the Cougars (16-0, 11-0) completed an unbeaten run through the league for their first Central League title since 2013.
Erin DeStefano and Jaclyn Guille scored three goals each, Guille adding an assist. Claire Lynch had two goals and two assists. Maddy McBride made seven saves.
Lizzie Getz scored three times for Marple Newtown, and Emily Frescoln added two.
Garnet Valley 17, Harriton 3 >> Mia Raucci, Mia Zebley, Maddie Shoemaker and DeDe Schmittlein scored three times each as the Jaguars coasted to victory. Sav Saunders added two goals, and Sammy Wood paired a goal with three assists.
In nonleague action:
Archbishop Carroll 10, Penn Charter 8 >> Ava Bleckley scored four goals, and Chloe Bleckley added two goals and two assists as the Patriots (16-1) prevailed. Machaela Henry scored twice to go with a team-best four draw controls, and Bridget Robinson made seven saves.
