Boys Lacrosse: Radnor’s Cooper Mueller makes up for late penalty with winning assist in OT

RADNOR — Cooper Mueller wasn’t where he wanted to be in the last minute of regulation Friday. Namely, in the penalty box, for the final 57 seconds of regulation, after the Radnor midfielder took an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for continuing to play after the whistle in a tense sequence against Springfield.

Freed from the sin bin, Mueller set things right quickly, in the way he knows best.

Mueller helped the Raptors fend off a nearly three-minute possession to start overtime, after the Mueller-less Raptors had killed the man-advantage, then set up Mason Montrella’s rip to send Radnor to a 6-5 Central League win.

It was the kind of sequence that Radnor had been looking for all game, breaking the shackles of Springfield’s possess-and-defense suffocation, and it came at the perfect moment.

“Coming into overtime, we’re all thinking, let’s get this done,” Mueller, a Princeton-bound middie said. “We all trust each other. We get that ball and we get an open break, I see Mason wide open, he’s going to stick that 10 times out of 10. It’s a perfect example of what we want.”

“That’s definitely a look that we’ve gotten before,” Montrella said. “We have great chemistry on that. He saw me out of the corner of his eye, and it was open so he got it to me. I just went with my instinct and ripped it high, and it went.”

The matchup under the lights preludes a District 1 or state final in a month’s time, right down to the clashing styles. Radnor led 3-1 at half and 4-2 after three quarters, but Springfield charged back with three in the final quarter to send the game to overtime. Springfield dominated possession, Lucas Aaron going 12-for-15 on faceoffs, and thus controlled the clock, depriving Radnor’s potent attack the ball and making their stellar defense have to work for minutes at a time.

It finally took a toll, Ty Gougler ripping home an Aidan Kreydt feed early in the fourth to make it 4-3, then Patrick Flaherty and Sean Donaldson each scoring their second goals of the game less than a minute apart to tie the game. Luke Valerio assisted on both.

“He went almost 100 percent, just battling with that kid,” Flaherty said of Aaron. “Cheese just works harder, I guess, and is a dog on the groundballs.”

That patient pressure plays mind games. How fresh and crisp can Radnor’s defense be when their poles are sliding four, five, six times in quick succession? And when the offense finally gets the ball, how quickly do you want to shoot it if you know you might not see it again for three minutes?

“It’s definitely really nerve-racking,” Montrella said. “We have so much trust in our defense and they’re really good and they really bailed us out in this game. But when we get it, we try to listen to our coach, take the right looks, play hard, play fast, don’t force anything, get good looks and bury them.”

Mason Montrella from Cooper Mueller. Ballgame
6-5 in OT pic.twitter.com/i4unj2ZO0y

— Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd) April 15, 2023

Radnor did so early. Nate Lucchesi dodged from up high to rip one in with 1:30 left in the first quarter. Tommy DeShan’s speed out of midfield and a Kessy Cox fake and finish made it 3-1 at half.

When Michael Savadove took a rebound of one of Nick DeCain’s nine saves and jetted to the other end to score, Radnor led 4-2 and seemed ready to run away. Even more so when Colin French unleashed a wicked step-down to make it 5-3 with 5:59 remaining.

DeCain was huge on the night. His best save may have been on Valerio in the second quarter when the freshman middie snuck into the crease past a pair of defenders, but DeCain contorted to kick it away.

“Our defense can only do so much, and when those shots come in some goalies are going to let those in, but DeCain had a huge game today,” Mueller said. “He really stepped up and held us in.”

Jackson Kennedy was solid in the other cage with five saves. Nick Labutis and sophomore Billy Henderson led a dogged defensive effort that, from a young Springfield side starting a bevy of sophomores, Flaherty praised for its heart.

Radnor, which has beaten powerhouses like Malvern Prep and Academy of the New Church this season, wasn’t in need of a signature win. But surviving Springfield might have tested them in a different way than those nationally ranked foes. The lessons may payoff as they seek a third consecutive state title.

“It’s going to be a slower game, each shot really counts, each possession really counts, longer possessions,” Mueller said. “It’s a different pace of the game, and this is an in-league rivalry, so it’s always one of our biggest games. We come at them, they come at us, so we’re always ready for a Springfield game.”

Also in the Central League:

Ridley 12, Conestoga 8 >> Chris Capozzoli led the Green Raiders with four goals, Owen Bosak scored and went 15-for-21 at the X and Vaughn Ritter made 16 saves for Ridley. Jon Daniels added a goal and three assists.

In the Inter-Ac League:

Haverford School 15, Penn Charter 4 >> Ryan DiRocco posted four goals and two assists, while Aydan DiRocco registered two goals and three assists.

Colin Zeller and Brendan Leary each found the back of net twice for the Fords. Brady O’Kane pitched in with a goal and three assists.

Malvern Prep 13, Episcopal Academy 8 >> TJ Lamb paced the Churchmen with two goals and an assist. Charlie Kraftson and Dylan Jaszcz had two goals apiece. Goalie Jack Guido stopped 15 shots.

In nonleague action:

Marple Newtown 19, W.C. East 2 >> Rob Wagner scored five goals and added an assist as the Tigers roared to a 9-1 lead after one quarter.

Evan Kostack paired four goals with two assists. Joey Yukenavitch tallied three goals and three assists. Alex Chambers went 18-for-20 on draws with a goal and an assist, and Brian Box contributed two goals and a helper.

Haverford School 9, St. Ignatius 3 >> Brody Murphy made eight saves to lead the Fords to a win over their opposition from California on Thursday.

Ben McCarthy was a perfect 13-for-13 on draws to go with a pair of goals. Brady O’Kane added two goals and an assist, Colin Zeller added two goals and Ryan DiRocco dished three assists. Ayden DiRocco scored and added two assists.

In the Ches-Mont League:

Rustin 21, Sun Valley 2 >> Brad Carotenuto and Brandon Carr scored the only goals for the Vanguards.