Owen J. Roberts puts on defensive masterclass to shut down top-seeded Phoenixville and repeat as PAC girls’ lacrosse champions

KING OF PRUSSIA >> As it turns out, a year full of change for the Owen J. Roberts girls’ lacrosse team didn’t mean everything had to change.

For the second consecutive year and 10th time in program history, the No. 2 Wildcats are Pioneer Athletic Conference champions after their brilliant defensive performance shut down a top-seeded Phoenixville’s potent offense en route to an 8-4 victory on Thursday night at Upper Merion.

While most outside of the program focused on what the Wildcats had lost with a mass graduation exodus of one of the most talented senior classes the PAC has ever seen, the holdovers were more affixed on what the team still had. Sure, last year’s PIAA 3A champions that went 27-1 embarked on a historic ride, so the remaining players weren’t interested in allowing things to come to screeching halt.

“We had a phenomenal season last year, and I think coming into this season having graduated so many seniors, nobody thought we would be the same,” junior defender Ashly White said. “But we knew what we had and what we were capable of. Everyone on this team was here last year. We put in the work and we all knew our time was coming. We just had to go out, perform and show people what we could do as a new team.”

Perhaps nobody embodies the style of ferocious, unforgiving defense OJR plays more than White, who is as fast as she is physical. Those two elements came together late in the second quarter in the form of a violent collision between White and Phoenixville’s Claire New. With the ball loose on the ground near midfield, White charged at it, singularly-fixated on the ball and running at full speed before an inadvertent collision with New left both crumpled on the turf (New left the game for evaluation for a concussion).

The game was a defensive slugfest from the start, as the first goal didn’t come until 4:08 left in the first quarter when Phoenixville junior Erin Reedy scored her first of four goals on the night. OJR’s Laina Grimm answered with 2:54 left in the period, and the time between Reedy and Grimm’s goals was the only time the Wildcats trailed all night.

The tide began to turn in the second quarter, with the Wildcats (14-6) outscoring Phoenixville 3-1 as OJR senior Morgan Karas scored the first two goals and assisted on the third to give her squad a 4-2 halftime lead.

“We knew from the beginning of the season we wanted to get back here and win, and we did it,” said Karas, who, along with classmate Sierra Milano, scored a team-high three goals. “It was a lot of hard work, sweat and practice, but we did it and it feels amazing.”

The third quarter was mostly a repeat of the two that preceded it: low-scoring, physical and won by OJR when it came to controlling the time of possession, winning more 50-50 balls and causing more turnovers. Reedy’s third goal brought the Phantoms (15-5) to within one for the final time, but Emery Horn’s goal off a free position 41 seconds later sucked the wind right back out of Phoenixville’s sails.

“It’s hard,” said Phoenixville head coach Aamina Thornton, whose team was playing in the PAC title game for the first time since 2014. “I wanted it, they wanted it and they worked so hard. Things didn’t happen to go our way. The result here is not what we wanted, but I’m proud of my girls in how well and composed they played. This part of the season is over, so we’ll reflect, take tomorrow off and come back strong waiting to see what our seeding is for districts.”

With OJR holding a 5-3 lead, the final period became the Milano show. Two nights after scoring a goal plus three assists to dispatch Boyertown in the semifinals, the senior scored her second of the night with 10:50 remaining, and the completion of her hat trick with 4:29 to go clinched the inevitable.

“I think it feels more special this year,” Milano said. “It felt special last year too, but I think then we knew we’d make it really far. This year was a little iffy in the beginning not knowing how good we were going to be. There were all these ups and downs, so coming out tonight and winning really showed that nothing was going to stop us.”

In the end, the Wildcats were too balanced and deep on offense and too bruising and physical on defense to be turned away. The starting defensive unit of White, Marley Danielsson, Sophia Franklin and Erin Bolger plus the capable and steady presence of goalie Korrigan Sweeney, who made several big saves in the fourth quarter to thwart Phoenixville’s comeback attempt, was an impenetrable forcefield. Reedy scored four goals (she posted five in the semifinals), but the difference on this night was that OJR kept every other Phantoms player out of the scoring column.

“I loved it. They did incredible,” Sweeney said of the defensive unit in front of her. “They saved the game, and it gave me a lot of energy to perform as I wanted to. I give so much credit to them. They did amazing and we wouldn’t be where we are without them.”

“I think at the end of the day it came down to who wanted it more,” White added. “Phoenixville played a phenomenal game and gave a great effort, but we just wanted it a little bit more. We put in the work to be able to get that win.”

Now that the Wildcats have secured their second straight PAC crown and eighth since 2015, the team will shift its focus to the upcoming District 1-3A Tournament. Unlike last season, OJR will be far from one of the favorites; in fact, the most recent district rankings had them 16th (Phoenixville is in the same boat, currently ranked 18th), so the team won’t even get a first-round bye and their quest for a repeat will begin on Tuesday.

That’s fine as far as the Wildcats are concerned, because this underdog thing actually suits them quite well.

“I’m pumped, just super excited going into districts,” Sweeney said. “We want it really badly and I know we have what it takes.”

“We go into every game ready to play and give 100 percent effort,” White said. “Everyone may be doubting us, but we know what we are capable of. We have a great team and we’re just excited to keep playing with each other.”