Megan Ruckman, Ilyana Jones lead Spring-Ford girls’ lacrosse to thrilling 12-11 District 1-3A first-round win over Pennsbury

FALLS TOWNSHIP >> The first round of the district tournament has not been kind to the Spring-Ford girls’ lacrosse team over the course of the last decade.

Luckily for the Rams, Megan Ruckman and Ilyana Jones were not ready to be finished playing together just yet.

Ruckman scored a game-high five goals, including the game-winner with 1:51 to play, and Jones posted 12 saves in goal to reach 600 for her career as No. 22 Spring-Ford upset host and 11th-seeded Pennsbury in an exhilarating 12-11 victory in the opening round of the District 1-3A tournament on Tuesday.

The Rams reached the second round for the first time in at least a decade and will play at No. 6 Penncrest on Thursday night at 7 p.m. The District 1 website has tournament brackets posted going back to 2014, and Spring-Ford has lost in the first round every year from 2014-19 and also in 2021. The team did not qualify for districts in each of the past two seasons, and there was no tournament in 2020 due to the pandemic.

So, it’s been a long time coming, and the Rams cared very little that they were seeded 22nd out of 24 teams in the bracket. All they knew was that the fact that they desperately wanted to win and keep playing together meant more to them than a seed number.

“I just knew that none of us wanted to go home,” said Ruckman, who broke an 11-11 tie with under two minutes to play when the Falcons were down a player due to a penalty. “When I got the ball, I knew I had a shot at it and just did whatever I could to get it in the back of the net.

“My teammates are always feeding me, and when I’m not wide open they know how to get it to my stick so that I’m always set up for a good shot. I just try to take my time; if it’s not there then I try not to force it, but if it is then I’m going to go get it.”

The game was as back-and-forth as can be, with the two teams trading goals for the entirety of the first half. Neither squad held a lead larger than a goal, and the proceedings were knotted 6-6 at the break.

In addition to the last goal of the game, Ruckman also scored the first, plus two more in the second quarter. Other Spring-Ford tallies belonged to Hailey Mozi, Riley Czapor and Rella Talley, who tied the score with 1:04 left in the half to give the Rams some positive vibes heading into the second half.

“With every single game, our trust in each other grows,” said Jones, who came up with a handful of critical saves in the second half to keep the score close. “We all played so well. There wasn’t a single point where I was thinking, ‘We should have done this’ or ‘we should have done that.’ I love playing with these girls and seeing us all work together.”

The Spring-Ford girls’ lacrosse team celebrates a 12-11 first-round District 1-3A win over Pennsbury in which senior goalie Ilyana Jones (holding sign) notched her 600th career save. (Ed Morrone/MediaNews Group)

For Pennsbury, Grace Holmes and Lily Abraham each scored twice in the first half, and the Falcons also got goals from Mia Popovich and Rylie Borgman. Abraham and Popovich’s tallies gave the host Falcons their first advantage of the contest at 5-4, and they also led 6-5 at one point.

The Rams opened the third period with consecutive goals 16 seconds apart by Mozi and Czapor, but the quarter mostly belonged to Jones and the Spring-Ford defense. That collective held Pennsbury scoreless for the first 10:13 of action, with Jones in particular making a few outstanding point-blank saves.

But a Rams penalty late in the period forced the team to compete a player down for two minutes, and Pennsbury sensed the moment as the perfect time to strike. In the span of 1:12, the Falcons got three straight goals from Sasha Dobos, Borgman and Dobos again to give their team a 9-8 lead.

Spring-Ford shrugged off what seemed like a possible huge momentum swing in Pennsbury’s favor. With Ruckman and a potent offense lurking, it’s easy to understand why.

“We’ve been saying all season that we don’t have a weak link on offense,” Ruckman said. “We feel confident that every single one of us is strong in scoring the ball. It’s definitely easier when it’s all working together.”

Gianna DiBattista answered Dobos’ second goal with one of her own less than 30 seconds later, allowing the Rams to tie the score 9-9 heading into the final quarter.

Popovich struck first in the fourth, but DiBattista countered a mere 12 seconds later, and Ruckman’s fourth goal with 5:29 to play put the Rams back in front 11-10. Popovich completed the hat trick 23 seconds later to send the game into a frenzied, teeth-gnashing final five minutes in which both teams had opportunities to score.

But it was a crucial Pennsbury penalty right in front of Jones’ crease with 2:52 to play that turned the tide, and Ruckman buried the game-winner just over a minute later. The Falcons had one final rush, but ultimately it was Jones, Ruckman and company that refused to lose.

“We depend on Ilyana a lot — she’s our rock,” said Spring-Ford head coach Kelly Macnamara, who played goalie collegiately at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. “A lot of times, coaches don’t pay attention to goalies at practices unless it’s to hop in the net when the attack or defense is working on something. But it’s good to take care of them. Ilyana is a huge piece of what we do and we’re thrilled to have her back there.”

As for Ruckman, Macnamara called the sophomore “a rock star.”

“Meg’s a finisher for us,” Macnamara said. “She’s dependable to score a couple goals a game, and she’s always on. She’s got outstanding field sense, knowing how and when to cut and move the ball. I couldn’t be more excited that she’s just a sophomore.”

Other than Ruckman’s fireworks, Czapor, Mozi and DiBattista all scored twice, and that trio each had an assist as well. Mozi and DiBattista won five draw controls between them, and Talley caused a turnover in addition to her goal.

Popovich led Pennsbury (12-7-1) with three scores, while Abraham, Borgman, Holmes and Dobos added two goals apiece.

It remains to be seen if Spring-Ford (13-7) has another upset under its belt, but a win like this seemed to galvanize the Rams, who lost to Phoenixville in the Pioneer Athletic Conference semifinals a week ago. They may not have a great track record in districts, but after one road win in the quiver, why not another?

“As a senior at Spring-Ford, I’ve gotten to see how we’ve progressed through the years,” Jones said. “I know Thursday might be tough, but that’s okay, because at this point I trust my offense, defense and midfield, and I know they trust me. I love it, and I’m just really excited.”