By Harry Chaykun
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/18/13
Boyertown goalie Katie Buckwalter went to the prom Friday night, but she had no trouble getting her rest.
“I was home by 1:30 and made sure I got eight hours of sleep,” Buckwalter said.
Buckwalter needed that rest since she didn’t have many restful moments against second-seeded Great Valley in a district quarterfinal match today at West Chester East. She was a standout with 15 saves in leading the seventh-seeded Bears into a semifinal matchup Tuesday with Springfield-Delco (at 4 p.m. at Henderson; moved up from original start time of 7:30) after their 10-8 upset of the Patriots.
“We really didn’t have anything to lose,” Boyertown coach Pam Wernersbach said. “Nobody expected us to come over here and beat them.”
A 10-goal loss to Great Valley (18-3) midway through the season might have affected a few people’s opinions, but the Bears didn’t let that – or a two-goal deficit at halftime – get them down. Boyertown (20-2) picked up the first five goals of the second half, as Alex O’Herrick contributed a pair, Rachel Engler got two goals and one assist, and Buckhalter made nine of her saves after the break.
“I think the last time we played them their coaches were telling them to shoot low,” Buckwalter said. “I tried to adjust to that, but I wasn’t making the right adjustments. Today things went a lot better, and it feels great to be able to say we’ve made it to states.”
The Bears can finish no lower than fourth in the district tourney and know they will be in the field when the PIAA Tournament begins May 29.
Kaitlin DeHaven joined O’Herrick in scoring two goals for Boyertown, and Rachel Perry, Robyn Piveteau, and Emily Gerhart were effective at the defensive end in support of Buckwalter.
Emily Scullin and Kim Hooven both scored two goals for Great Valley, which was blanked for the first 14 minutes of the second half. The Patriots will host Conestoga Tuesday night (7:30 p.m.) in a playback game it must win to stay alive in the postseason.
Boyertown 10, Great Valley 8
Boyertown 4 6 – 10
Great Valley 6 2 – 8
Boyertown: Kaitln DeHaven 2G, Alex O’Herrick 2G, Rachel Engler 2G 1A, Haley Wentzel 1G 1A, Annie Rodgers 1G, Emma Morgan 1G, Lauren Mengel 1G.
Great Valley: Emily Scullin 2G, Kim Hooven 2G, Avery Murphy 1G, Kirsten Hale 1G, Jessie Boyle 1G.
Saves – Boyertown: Katie Buckwalter 15, Great Valley: Merrilee Viguers 6.
