Avon Grove upsets Upper Dublin in first District 1 playoff game since 2014
UPPER DUBLIN >> The Avon Grove girls lacrosse team last District 1 playoff game before Tuesday afternoon came nine years prior. The Red Devils made sure the wait for the next one will only be a couple days.
After host No. 11 seed Upper Dublin jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the Class 3A first round contest, Avon Grove’s attack found its rhythm. The No. 21 Red Devil tallied the last six of the first half then the first two after the break to go up 10-3 then held off a late charge from the Cardinals to advance with a 12-10 upset victory.
“It’s huge for us,” Avon Grove junior Sydney Correll said. “We’re really excited and yeah it’s been a while.”
Correll finished with game-high five goals – three coming in the first half – while Rylee Boyd and Emma Dunckel both scored twice for the Red Devils, who last made districts in 2014 when they fell in the first round to Springfield-Delco.
“We just held strong and kept our composure throughout the game,” Correll said. “We didn’t let those two goals get to us, we just got back into it.”
This year’s group moves on to a second-round matchup with fellow Ches-Mont side No. 5 Downingtown East 4 p.m. Thursday. Avon Grove lost to East 10-6 on April 3.
“We’re feeling excited,” said Correll, who has verbally committed to UMass Lowell. “We’re going to come into Thursday strong. Hope to get another win.”
Upper Dublin took a 3-2 lead when Ella Lyon converted an eight-meter shot with 12:50 remaining in the first half. The Cardinals, however, did not score again until 11:49 left in regulation when Ava Shohen struck on an eight-meter to cut the deficit to 10-4.
But UD found offensive momentum from there and collected four consecutive goals to pull within two – Paige Dinkel found the back of the net to make it 12-10 with 40 seconds to go but there just was not enough time for the Cards to complete the rally.
“I know we went a very long time (without scoring) and then we turned it on,” Upper Dublin coach Dee Cross said. “Our defense was solid the whole time, they had some really good shots. And we know they were fast. We knew their goalie (Kylee Mellott) was fantastic and that was the difference.
“Their goalie came up with some huge saves for them even when we got the momentum, she made some saves, she made us work for every one.”
Shohen scored three goals to pace the Cardinals, who split the Suburban One League American Conference title with Upper Moreland and Springfield-Montco and finished the season 14-5. Dinkel Lyon, Anna DiMartile all added two goals for UD, which lost in the district first round for the third straight season.
“They did everything we asked,” Cross said. “And I just think getting momentum helped us. And we tell them one goal at a time and we just ran out of time.”
Mellott, a freshman, recorded her 150th save in the contest as she finished with 14 stops.
Correll pulled the Red Devils even 3-3 at 11:43 then gave the visitors the lead for good as she struck on an eight-meter shot at 7:04.
“It was just our first playoff game since 2014 and just really wanting to win,” Correll said. “My teammates just cutting really opened up the space a lot.”
Boyd scored on an eight meter while Correll collected her third of the half to put Avon Grove up 6-3 at 4:21. Correll connected with Emma Dunckel for a goal at 2:23 while Madison Britton sent the Red Devils into halftime leading 8-3 with her tally at 2:08.
“We were looking for open cutters in the middle and just drives from up top. I think that was our strength, trying to iso up top and get the 1-v-1s.”
Avon Grove stretched their run into the second half – Maggie Dunckel striking off a Boyd assist at 20:56 while Correll scored in transition to make it 18:05.
Shohen ended UD’s drought at 11:49 but Boyd answered just 31 seconds later.
“They were playing a zone for most of the time and I think we were just trying to force the ball into the middle,” Cross said. “And we couldn’t get our hands free and they did a really nice job of collapsing on us.”
Two straight goals from UD – a Dinkel eight meter at 6:44 then Kelly Senior scoring in transition at 5:57 – made it 11-6 before Correll notched her fifth of the afternoon at 4:00. But the Cardinals did not allow another goal and pushed hard to rally in the final minutes.
“I think Anna (Biermaas) gained confidence in goal,” Cross said. “Again, her first year, she’s playing because we had no one else. So she never played goalie before this year and once she made one save, it gave her confidence, you could tell the defense was being a little bit more going for checks, they were taking chances and that’s what really helped, that was the difference.”
Shohen scored at 3:22 with a Lyon goal off an eight-meter shot at 1:38 pulling UD with 12-8. Shohen struck off an Allie Gay assist with 51 seconds. Dinkel sliced the deficit to two nine seconds later but that was as close as the Cards could get.
Back-to-back DiMartile goals gave Upper Dublin a 2-0 lead at 16:53 in the opening half. Avon Grove answered with the next two – Maggie Boyle at 15:43 then Emma Dunckel at 14:29 before Lyon gave the Cardinals their last lead at 3-2 at 12:50.
