Surging Boyertown ends Owen J. Roberts’ PAC unbeaten run, 10-9

BOYERTOWN >> It was windy and sunny Monday afternoon at Boyertown, yet a perfect storm took place.

The Bears entered the game riding high off a 14-2 thrashing of Perkiomen Valley last Friday and highly-motivated to knock off the Pioneer Athletic Conference Liberty Division’s lone unbeaten, Owen J. Roberts. The Wildcats, meanwhile, were coming off their own positive result – a 9-8 win over Central League’s Harriton at the Katie Samson Festival on Saturday – but were playing their first game since the departure of head coach Amanda Kammes.

While Owen J. Roberts found itself in a state of flux, Boyertown was poised to take advantage.

The Bears (5-3 PAC Liberty, 8-3 PAC, 10-4 overall) erased a two-goal halftime deficit and played a strong second half in all phases before Amanda Diachynsky scored the game-winning goal with 1:38 remaining to send Boyertown to a 10-9 PAC victory over Owen J. Roberts.

Boyertown knocks off Owen J Roberts 10-9, PAC girls lacrosse. Massive win for the Bears. Diachynsky on the game-winner pic.twitter.com/fCNEKC6pZK

— Austin Hertzog (@AustinHertzog) April 30, 2018

Diachynsky, a junior, scored her fourth goal of the game on a smart cut from the left side and was found by Hannah Mitchell (two assists, four draw controls) for the decider. Senior Sydney Fox added three goals and an assist while Hayden Corcoran scored two momentum-seizing goals to aid the Bears’ push.

“We’ve been working all year and the kids have been positive. We’ve been trying to make gains every day,” Boyertown coach Pam Wernersbach said. “We played really, really well Friday (against Perkiomen Valley) and it kind of rolled over into today.”

Both coach and players spoke of the mental component of the game, which may have hindered the Bears earlier in the season, but appeared to be distant memories against OJR.

“I think we finally figured out the mental piece, not letting it get to us when the other team is more hyped than us,” Fox said.

“A big thing in last game and this game was our composure,” said senioer Kylie Webb, who had an assist and a draw control. “We’ve learned to just play our game and not worry about what anyone else is doing.”

For Owen J. Roberts (6-1, 9-1, 11-5), Eloise Gebert (one assist) and Hannah Delahaye each scored three goals.

First-year head coach Kammes left her post midseason to accept a job in Chicago, where she grew up. Assistant Casey Kellogg, a Downingtown West graduate who played at Hofstra and coach at Univ. of Calif.-Davis and Abington, has assumed the head coaching position for the Wildcats.

“We just didn’t play up to our level. We’re coming off a really big win at the Katie Samson Festival last weekend, but we didn’t come ready to play today,” Kellogg said. “We didn’t match their level of intensity.”

All is far from lost for the three-time reigning PAC champions though.

“We’re going to be fine,” Kellogg said. “It’s a tough lesson to learn, but you can’t underestimate anybody. We have a target on our backs. We did our job the first half of the season and made a lot of statements. Now, you can’t come out sleeping because people are coming for us.”

It was a competitive first half, unlike their first meeting on April 6 which OJR won 18-3. Still, the Wildcats led 4-2 after Delahaye scored the last two goals on the half.

Corcorcan scored successive goals with 21 and 18 minutes to play to tie it 5-5. Fox gave Boyertown its first lead, 9-8, with 5:32 to play but Delahaye broke free of her mark 30 seconds later and had a close-range finish to go 9-9.

That set up Diachynsky’s heroics with 1:40 left before the Bears won the ensuing draw and eventually held off OJR’s last possession over the final 20 seconds.

“Our intensity carries through,” Webb said. “When our defense it playing a great game, it starts with the goalies, our defense plays well, then the midfield and offense plays well – it’s like a chain reaction.

“If we get intense and come out hard, that’s when we play our best.”

Despite the loss, Owen J. Roberts remains atop the division and is in charge for a return to the PAC Final Four. The Bears are in a second-place battle with Perk Valley (4-3, 7-3, 9-3) and Methacton (4-3, 7-3, 8-7) and are all about focusing on the present.

“We still have a lot left in our season and we’ve got to get back to work,” Webb said.

“We haven’t even talked about playoffs, we’re just taking it day by day,” said senior Kaleigh Gallagher.

NOTES >> Ashley Dierolf added a goal and an assist for Boyerotnw while goalies Kasey Fox and Sarah Didget made five and four saves, respectively. … For OJR, Maddie Koury had a goal and three assists and Kelsey Kilgallon and Danika Swech had a goal apiece.