PIAA Class 3A Girls Lacrosse: Owen J. Roberts breezes by Central, eyes next challenge

June 1, 2021

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FAIRVIEW VILLAGE >> The Owen J. Roberts girls lacrosse team made sure the feeling didn’t last long.

Following their first loss of the season to eventual champion Unionville in the District 1-3A quarterfinals on May 22, OJR won its next two games to earn the fifth seed in the PIAA playoffs.

The Wildcats (20-1) continued with their third straight win Tuesday, defeating District 12 champion Central High School 20-0 in the first round of the PIAA Class 3A tournament.

OJR hopes to keep things rolling Saturday when it faces District 1-3 seed Radnor, a 17-0 winner over District 3 two seed South Western.

“Unionville was a good wake-up call for us,” OJR senior Grace Kratz said. “After the game, what our coach said to us was, ‘Now you know how it feels and you’re only going to feel it once. That is your time that you felt it and that’s over.’”

“We really reflected on that (Unionville) game a lot,” senior Emily Himmelreich said. “We figured out what we needed to get right. We figured it out and we broke the game into pieces instead of looking at the big picture. Small plays come before the big picture.”

Owen J. Roberts’ Quinn Defibaugh eyes the field during Tuesday’s PIAA Class 3A game against Central at Methacton. (Owen McCue – MediaNews Group)

Owen J. Roberts’ Grace Kratz watches her shot go in during Tuesday’s PIAA Class 3A first round game against Central at Methacton. (Owen McCue – MediaNews Group)

Junior Quinn Defibaugh scored a hat trick to lead OJR’s scoring efforts, while junior Gracyn Smith added a goal of her own and assisted on five others in Tuesday’s win over Central.

Himmelreich netted a pair of goals and an assist and sophomores Blakely Doyle, Alexa Vogelman (two assists), Gabbi Koury and Ava Clemson (assist) also scored twice in the win.

“I think it was really awesome seeing different people get assists, aggressive ground balls,” Himmelreich said. “We all came together and played good as a team.”

A total of 12 different OJR players found the back of the net Tuesday in a contest the Wildcats led 16-0 at halftime.

Senior Maggie Kilgallon scored a goal and had two assists and Kratz added a score. Freshmen Sierra Milano (assist), Marley Danielsson and Morgan Karas (assist) also got in on the scoring action, while classmate Emery Horn added an assist.

“Not many freshmen get to say they scored in a state game,” Kratz said.

Owen J. Roberts’ Maggie Kilgallon (3) eyes the net against Central during Tuesday’s PIAA Class 3A first round game at Methacton. (Owen McCue – MediaNews Group)

Owen J. Roberts’ Emily Himmelreich (12) knocks the ball from a Central player during Tuesday’s PIAA Class 3A first round game at Methacton. (Owen McCue – MediaNews Group)

Following its loss to Unionville, the Wildcats defeated Downingtown East, 15-10, to clinch their spot in states. They then knocked off District 1 sixth seed Great Valley, 11-10, to earn the fifth seed.

Another tough test awaits them in Saturday’s state quarterfinal.

OJR hopes any tears from now and then will be of joy after a championship celebration. The district loss also showed them it will take a lot to accomplish that feat.

“We need to focus on the fundamentals,” Kratz said. “I think the games we don’t do as well in are maybe the ones where we’re lacking in effort or missing passes or just not super sharp with the little things. So as long as we stay calm, stay confident and stay focused on those then we’ll be good.”