Farnish, Radnor put clamps on Ridley
Radnor — When the dust settled on the second quarter, No. 6 seed Radnor’s trip to the District One quarterfinals was all but booked. The hosts fired 14 shots at Ridley goalie Dawson Faust in that period, four of which found the back of the net. The No. 11 seeded Green Raiders countered with just one attempt and crossed midfield three times amid a 10-4 Radnor victory.
Ridley was knocked out of the second round for the fourth consecutive season. The other advanced to within one win of another District One tournament berth.
It was a methodical performance from an experienced team.
“Every season we always have the same three goals: Win the Central League, win the districts, win states,’ said senior defender Mike Farnish. “This year, we had a new saying. We took one game at a time. We did a better job of staying in the moment, which we did tonight.’
That mindset helps explain the Raiders’ dismissal of a revenge factor.
Ridley ran Radnor off the field in April to the tune of 11-6. But as the season progressed so too did last year’s state semifinalists.
“Teams are a lot different now,’ Farnish said.
And yet the first moments of Thursday’s game hinted at a repeat of April’s clash. The Green Raiders won the face off and set about peppering Alex Andersen in goal. The fifth shot, courtesy of Brock Anderson, went in. Ridley’s good feelings quickly dissipated, though. Adam Neiberg answered with a long sprint from midfield 1:07 after Anderson’s marker. Drew Ryan gave Radnor the lead with 1:48 left in the first quarter.
Ridley wouldn’t score again for another half-hour.
“Getting the first goal was huge. We came out how we wanted,’ Anderson said, “and then it kind of went all downhill from there.’
Credit should go to the Raiders’ defense, which limited their opponents’ attack after the initial push. Farnish and Co. clamped down on Ridley’s bevy of offensive talents, with special attention paid to sophomore Cade Stratton.
“They were shutting Cade,’ Anderson explained. “They kept us to the outside and we were sloppy with the ball.’
“Our coaches scouted them well. They always give us assignments before the games,’ Farnish said of the stifling defense. “It comes down to being comfortable switching and communicating. They run pick plays, and we’re fine with a long stick or a short stick coming to help.’
On offense, five different players accounted for Radnor’s six first-half goals. Only Ryan scored twice in the opening 24 minutes.
“We’ve been talking a lot lately about assisted goals,’ Ryan said. “Everyone contributed tonight. Our D and middies were scoring and we love that. We don’t really care who scores.’
Ryan spun off a defender and fired a laser past Faust with 1:14 left in the half to take the lead to 6-1. By the end of the third quarter, it was 8-1. Neiberg bagged his second and Jack Wilson made sure he got in on the act, too.
Two Nick Fox goals and one from Stratton provided Ridley (13-7) some consolation in the fourth. But this was Radnor’s night. The Raiders will play Bishop Shanahan Saturday at Harriton High School with a trip to state on the line.
“We wanted to show that we’re much improved from early in the season,’ said Ryan, who got his hat trick in the fourth to go with one assist. “We definitely talked about playing our best lacrosse. I think we did that.’
In other second-round action:
Penncrest 12, Wissahickon 4: Drew Hanna pumped in five goals and set up another score to lead the way as the second-seeded Lions (15-4) ran out to a 9-2 first-half lead.
Ryan Kinnard (two assists) and Matt Young each added a hat trick, while the defensive group consisting of Ryan and Zach Granger, Zack Kaut, Ryan Schultz and Kevin Delaney cleared the way for goalie Steve Nolan (15 saves).
Springfield 9, Downingtown East 6: Mike Gerzabek posted a hat trick in a third quarter in which Springfield outscored Downingtown, 7-1, to take the advantage.
Dan Wasson contributed two goals and a pair of assists, and Zach Dworkin won 12 of 18 faceoffs for the fourth-seeded Cougars (14-4), who erased a 4-2 halftime deficit.
