District 1 Class 3A Girls Lacrosse: From draw to five goals, DeStefano leads Springfield to win
SPRINGFIELD – You could tell right from the start that Springfield was determined to bounce back from its first and only loss of the season.
It began with the first draw control.
Senior Erin DeStefano won that faceoff, the first of many she would win on the day, and the Cougars only needed 51 seconds to get on the board on a goal by DeStefano. It would be the first of five goals for her. She also had an assist, but it was DeStefano’s work in the circle that propelled the top-seeded Cougars to an 18-5 romp Thursday over No. 16 Boyertown.
Springfield (17-1) came up with the ball 10 times with DeStefano in the circle. She won seven of the first 11 draws as the Cougars bolted to a 9-1 lead and never looked back.
“Controlling the draw is one of our main focuses,” DeStafano said. “If we have possession we feel like we’re going to win the game.”
DeStefano used a specific tactic to make sure she did win the draw and give the Cougars possession.
“I like to pull my stick,” DeStefano said. “If I can’t get the ball myself I try to get it to the girls behind me. I depend on other people in the circle. They really help me out. It’s not a one-man thing.”
DeStefano’s control of the circle helped the Cougars bounce back from a disappointing 13-7 loss to defending PIAA Class 2A champ Archbishop Carroll in the regular-season finale for both teams. Springfield has had a week to let that loss sink in.
“That loss motivated us,” junior Jaclyn Guille said. “We knew we needed to come back from that.”
Guille played a big role in that bounce-back victory. She also scored five times and handed out an assist.
“I just knew we needed the win and I was going to do anything I could to help us win,” Guille said.
As DeStefano said, though, it was not a one- or two-person show as the Cougars advanced to quarterfinals for a rematch with Central League foe Radnor next Tuesday. The eighth-seeded Raptors topped No. 9 Kennett, 13-4, to advance to the Elite Eight.
Claire Lynch tallied twice and handed out an assist. Kylee O’Donnell also scored twice. Allie Hunter, Maddie Kane, Emma Barrett and Molly Convery rounded out the scoring for Springfield. Maddy McBride and Geena Augello stood out in goal. McBride made five saves before giving way to Augello in the second half. Augello stopped four shots and made an interception.
Hannah Adamski and Peyton Shellaway scored two goals apiece for the Bears (14-6) and Alina Fritz pitched in with three assists. Freshman Teegan Tyson came up with nine big saves in the first half or the deficit would have been much greater than 13-3 at the break.
The difference, however, was DeStefano in the circle. She dominated the draws and that allowed the Cougars to control possession. Boyertown only had two significant possessions in the first five minutes and by that time the Bears trailed, 5-0, and never recovered.
“They were very quick to the ball after the draw,” Boyertown coach Pam Wernersbach said of the Cougars. “They were very quick with their cuts through the eight. We had a hard time matching up with their speed.”
