Phoenixville, Owen J. Roberts take care of business in PAC semifinals to reach girls lax title game
KING OF PRUSSIA >> For Erin Reedy, it was the happiest of birthdays.
The Phoenixville junior scored five goals on her 17th birthday on Tuesday night, as Reedy helped guide the top-seeded Phantoms girls’ lacrosse team to its first Pioneer Athletic Conference championship game appearance since 2014 with a come-from-behind 13-10 semifinal victory over No. 4 Spring-Ford at Upper Merion.
Phoenixville will take on defending PAC champion Owen J. Roberts on Thursday night back at Upper Merion at 7 p.m. after the Wildcats defeated Boyertown, 9-5, earlier in the evening.
“It means a lot to all of us,” Reedy said. “This season we’ve been winning a lot more and winning games we haven’t won in the past, so we’re all very excited about it. We’re trying to keep going as far as we can and keep staying positive.”
Spring-Ford kept fighting until the bitter end, but the combination of Reedy and Rost became too much to overcome in the second half. The Rams were forced to play with 10 players starting with 3:15 remaining through the end of the game due to picking up four yellow cards.
“Staying disciplined was big,” Rost said. “We knew we were up a player the entire fourth quarter, so keeping our spacing wide on the attack and looking for the right cutter helped us get those last three goals in the fourth quarter. We were patient and kept possession when we needed to.”
Phoenixville’s Margaret Rost, 15, is congratulated by teammates after her goal against Spring-Ford during their PAC semifinal on Tuesday, May 7, 2024 at Upper Merion. (Mike Cabrey/MediaNews Group)
Things did not start out swimmingly for the Phantoms (15-4), who found themselves trailing 3-0 just over three minutes into the game thanks to rapid-fire goals from Spring-Ford’s Morgan Evak, Riley Czapor and Gianna DiBattista.
Claire New got Phoenixville on the board a minute later, followed by Reedy’s first goal of the contest to pull the Phantoms within 3-2, and the first period ended with the Rams on top 4-3.
Spring-Ford (12-7) scored three of the first four goals of quarter two, including DiBattista’s second and third tallies of the contest, to again increase its lead to three. But the Phantoms kept scratching and clawing in the face of adversity, pulling to within 7-6 at halftime thanks to goals by Danielle Eliasson (assisted by Reedy) and Rost’s second of the game.
“We just tried to fight and keep each other up as a team using the skills we all know we have to our advantage,” Reedy said of playing from behind. “Keeping a positive mindset is the biggest thing with our team. We kept cheering each other on and keeping the energy up, and that really helped keep us going.”
Spring-Ford’s Gianna DiBattista, 23, looks to drive against Phoenixville during their PAC semifinal on Tuesday, May 7, 2024 at Upper Merion. (Mike Cabrey/MediaNews Group)
The third period resulted in an even 2-2 split, with Reedy scoring both of Phoenixville’s goals, with her second giving the Phantoms their first lead of the game at 8-7 with 2:11 to play, roughly a minute after the Rams were dealt their fourth yellow card.
Spring-Ford initially responded well to the disadvantage, with Czapor and Megan Ruckman each scoring with under a minute to play to go back up 9-8 heading into the final quarter.
“The lack of control of our bodies and sticks is what killed us in the end,” Spring-Ford head coach Kelly Macnamara said. “You can’t expect to win playing a man down for a full quarter. I was proud of the way we hustled and didn’t get panicky or frustrated with each other. Overall, it was the best we could have done.”
Rost tied the score at 9 under two minutes into the fourth, only for Ruckman to score 12 seconds later to give Spring-Ford its final lead of the night. Rost tied the game with 9:41 to play, and New scored the go-ahead goal with 7:59 remaining. Reedy and Rost added one more apiece for good measure.
The win was a tremendous breakthrough for the program, as the Phantoms won 12 of their 13 PAC games this season, including all 10 games against PAC Frontier opponents. Perhaps Phoenixville teams of the past would have wilted the second the team fell behind by three goals, but these Phantoms didn’t even flinch.
“For a lot of us, it’s a comeback season,” Rost said. “Myself and other players battled through injury and adversity, and this has been our big season to come back and show the conference what we can do. It’s been really enjoyable for us to show off what we’ve got while having a lot of fun.”
Spring-Ford’s Alexis Sowers, 16, and Phoenixville’s Addison Graver, 29, vie for a ball during their PAC semifinal on Tuesday, May 7, 2024 at Upper Merion. (Mike Cabrey/MediaNews Group)
Besides Reedy and Rost’s five goals, New scored twice and Eliasson once. Samantha Schwartz came up with several big plays in goal, and the defensive unit rebounded from a so-so first half to allow just three goals after halftime.
DiBattista scored a game-high three goals, while Ruckman and Czapor each scored twice. Evak, Hailey Mozi and Lexi Sowers each found the back of the net once, and Ilyana Jones and Emma Kaercher teamed up to make five saves in the cage.
Now, Phoenixville will have one day of practice heading into face OJR, who they defeated in overtime 8-7 back on April 17.
“One more win would put a cherry on top of our season,” Rost said. “We’ve put in so much great fight, so winning the PAC and being successful in districts would make us feel that much more happy and accomplished.”
“It would mean a lot to every single one of us,” Reedy added. “We’ve all worked very hard to get to where we are, so I think winning one more would make my birthday even more amazing. I’m praying that we pull it out.”
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In the first game of Tuesday’s doubleheader, the reigning PAC champions left little doubt in the outcome. Much has changed from last year’s Owen J. Roberts team that went 27-1 en route to PAC, district and state titles, but what has remained intact is the strength of this program’s championship DNA.
The second-seeded Wildcats jumped out to a 3-0 lead after one quarter and never let No. 3 Boyertown get closer than three goals the entire game, using a balanced offensive attack along with suffocating defensive pressure to make it back to the title game in an eventual 9-5 victory.
Natalie Chin and Keira Clemson each scored twice for the Wildcats (13-6), while Sierra Milano, Pippi Waldman, Brooke Cano, Morgan Karas and Laina Grimm also recorded goals in the win.
“I think many of the girls have gained a lot of confidence this year,” senior defender Marley Danielsson said. “A lot of them got their first run of varsity playing time, and it’s really great seeing how we’ve all grown and gelled together. Our team from last year had been playing together for so long, while it took us some time to find it and get there. Now that we are, our team is really thriving.”
Chin opened the scoring a little over three minutes into the game, followed by tallies from Waldman and Cano. Clemson’s first goal put OJR up 4-0 early in the second before the Bears (12-6) got on the board with a goal by Hannah Adamski. Milano answered back under two minutes later, and the Wildcats took a 6-2 lead into halftime.
Alina Friz scored her second of three goals for Boyertown 28 seconds into the third period to pull the Bears within 6-3, but that was as close as they would get. Chin and Grimm both scored to give the Wildcats an 8-3 lead through three.
Danielsson picked up three ground balls and caused three turnovers, while Ashly White (three CT), Lari Schell (two CT), Milano (three CT) and Natalie Terlesky (two CT) were all defensive menaces, which allowed the offense more room to play loose and comfortable.
“They pressed and applied a lot of pressure to our kids and we just didn’t respond to it well,” Boyertown head coach Pam Wernersbach said. “They outworked us in a lot of cases, and their ability to control the ball was the difference in the game.”
Owen J. Roberts’ Sierra Milano, 1, looks to drive past Boyertown’s Peyton Shellaway, 8, during their PAC semifinal on Tuesday, May 7, 2024 at Upper Merion. (Mike Cabrey/MediaNews Group)
“It gives us so much confidence and we want to put in more effort to score when the defense is doing such a good job like that,” added Milano, who added three assists. “The offense sees how hard the defense is working and we don’t want to throw that away. It gave us a little push.”
Now the Wildcats can turn their attention to Thursday night’s title game, this time as the lower-seeded underdog. While it certainly took this iteration of OJR some time to find its own identity coming out of last year’s championship hangover, the Wildcats are certainly humming and feeling as confident as ever at the season’s most critical point.
Danielsson and Milano are both seniors, and the lessons they absorbed from the seniors from last year’s historic team have only prepared them for the challenge to come on Thursday night.
“There’s been a learning curve in finding our connection,” Danielsson said. “It’s been great to watch. When we come out to play these good teams, we’re prepared because the seniors from last year showed us how to be a team and play for each other. It’s obviously really great to be in this position.”
Owen J. Roberts’ Brooke Cano, 16, celebrates with Sierra Milano, 1, and Marlaina Grimm, 3, after Cano’s goal against Boyertown during their PAC semifinal on Tuesday, May 7, 2024 at Upper Merion. (Mike Cabrey/MediaNews Group)
Danielsson was speaking before she knew who her team’s opponent would be on Thursday, but she mentioned a “revenge tour” should it be Phoenixville. The Wildcats have not forgotten that first meeting earlier this season, and they are counting on their championship pedigree and big game experience to carry them across the finish line.
“It’s all going to start at practice (Wednesday),” Milano said. “If we have a good one then we’ll come out with energy on Thursday and be ready to win. We’re just carrying on that legacy (of last year) of being a really close team that is connected and excited for each other when we score goals. We all love each other.”
