Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/24/12

Ben Junior erupted for seven goals and two assists and Mike Barnes won 17 of 24 face-offs as Radnor toppled Central Bucks East, 15-9 today to earn the fifth and final District 1 playoff spot for the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association tournament.

Radnor (16-7) will meet District 1 runner-up Garnet Valley in the first round of the PIAA tourney Wednesday. CB East closes its season ay 19-3.

Tom Hemcher added three goals and three assists and Rob Dewey had two goals for Radnor while Brendan Manderack made 15 saves.

Parker Self had four goals and Chris Vetter three goals and two assists for the Patriots.

Radnor 15, CB East 9

Radnor 2-6-6-1 – 15
CB East 2-3-1-3 – 9

Radnor
Ben Junior 7g 2a
Tom Hemcher 3g 3a
Rob Dewey 2g
Peter Donato 1g 3a
Shane Shapiro 1g
Alex Manderack 1g
Chris Albany 3a
Mike Cherry 2a
Mike Barnes 17-24
Brendan Manderack 15 saves

CB East
Parker Self 4g
Chris Vetter 3g 2 a
Peter Donovan 1g
Anthony Casselli 1g
Ethan Debique 1a
Chris Lavin 1a
Eric Riva 1a

Chris Goldberg

By Harry Chaykun
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/24/12

Natalie Miller has been looking for a new Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association championship medal since misplacing the one she earned in 2010.

Radnor celebrates the District 1 championship

Second-year Radnor head coach Brooke Fritz was looking for a goalie late in the first half of Thursday night’s District 1 championship game against Conestoga and found what she had sought.

Miller scored four goals and had one assist and Colleen Packer, who replaced starter Grace Collins when she had to leave the field for a yellow card, ended up with seven saves on 10 shots, helped Radnor to a 14-7 decision over Conestoga at West Chester East Thursday night for the Red Raiders’ second district title in three years.

Radnor (19-4) opens PIAA Tournament play at West Chester East against Hatboro-Horsham, District 1′s seventh-place team, Wednesday afternoon in the opening game of a doubleheader. Conestoga (15-8) and Great Valley, the fifth-place finisher in District 1, meet in the second contest in a rematch of their district quarterfinal game, in which the Pioneers handed the Patriots their only loss of the season.

Miller scored three of her four goals in the first half, helping Radnor to a three-goal advantage at halftime. Libby Lowry (three goals), Taryn Deck (two goals), Miller and Shannon Quinn (two goals, two assists) scored the first four goals of the second half, and the Red Raiders rode the strong play in goal of Packer to control things in the second half.

“I had just turned to Molly Samson and told her to warm (Packer) up,” Fritz said. “And Colleen did a good job. We had a freshman (Hannah Procter) guarding (Meghan) McGillis (Conestoga’s scoring leader in its quarterfinal and semifinal wins) and she held her to one goal.

“This was a good win for us as a team.”

Packer, who has shared starting duties with Collins during the season, didn’t have time to worry when Collins was sent off the field 1:54 before halftime.

“I always try to make sure I’m ready to play,” she said. “I did get a little excited.”

So did her coaches, teammates and the Radnor fans when she kept turning shots away.

Abby Lord and Maggie Friel were Conestoga’s leaders with two goals apiece.

“It’s great to be a senior and to feel like you’re more a part of the team,” Lowry, who will play at Duquesne, said. “All of us who are seniors didn’t like the way last season ended.”

The 2011 campaign ended before Radnor had the chance to get back to states and defend its championship.

“That’s something that has helped us make sure we keep up our work ethic,” Miller said. “We all would like to get back to Hershey (site of the state final) again.”

In the third-place game:

Harriton 11, Garnet Valley 10

Freshman Jane Henderson scored the Rams’ last three goals, getting the game-winner with 2:55 to play, and sophomore goalie Melina Avery turned away Halley Barnes on an 8-meter shot 50 seconds before the final whistle.

Caeligh Foust finished with four goals for Harriton, which faces the District 11 champion in the opening round of the state tournament Wednesday. Top-seeded Nazareth and No. 3 Parkland meet for the District 11 title Friday.

Barnes scored three goals, AnnaElise Morello added two goals and Allyson Heavens got one goal and three assists for Garnet Valley, which will take on undefeated District 3 champion Manheim Township in the opening round at states.

Radnor 14, Conestoga 7

Conestoga 4 3 – 7
Radnor 7 7 – 14

Conestoga – Abby Lord 2G, Maggie Friel 2G, Elsie Wagner 1G, Kelly Morrison 1G, Meghan McGillis 1G, Mackenzie Orr 1A.

Radnor – Natalie Miller 4G 1A, Libby Lowry 3G, Shannon Quinn 2G 2A, Taryn Deck 2G, Amelie Yeager 2G, Kristen Norden 1G 1A.

Saves – Conestoga: Sarah Priem 10; Radnor: Grace Collins 3, Colleen Packer 7.

Harriton 11, Garnet Valley 10

Harriton 6 5 – 11
Garnet Valley 5 5 – 10

Harriton – Caleigh Foust 4G, Jane Henderson 3G, Jessica Schwab 3G, Sabrina Tabasso 1G.

Garnet Valley – Halley Barnes 3G 1A, Annaelise Morello 2G 1A, Allyson Heavens 1G 3A, Erica Coyne 1G, Ashley Pyle 1G, Kara Stroup 1G, Haley Warden 1G.

Saves – Harriton: Melina Avery 8, Garnet Valley: Kate Stroup 8.

Chris Goldberg

Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/22/12

Parker Self scored three goals and Harrison Holak made 18 saves as host Central Bucks East rallied past Abington, 13-11, tonight tonight in a District 1 boys’ lacrosse playback.

The Patriots (19-2) will face Radnor in a fifth-place game to qualify for states Thursday at a time to be determined. Radnor remained alive by edging Hatboro-Horsham, 6-5. Only five teams advance to the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association tournament this year.

Ryan Ambler had four goals and two assists and Matt Figueroa added three goals, one assist and five groundballs for the Ghosts, who held an 8-4 halftime lewad. East rpoared back with five unanswered goals in the third period.

Chris Vetter, Ethan Dubuque and Anthony Caselli each added two goals for the Pats. Travis O’Connor made 13 saves for Abington.

Radnor 6, Hatboro-Horsham 5

Ben Junior scored three goals and Brendan Manderack made 11 saves as the Red Raiders remained alive in the hunt for a state playoff berth.

Radnor (15-7) travels to CB East for the fifth-place showdown Thursday.

Chris Goldberg

By Harry Chaykun
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/23/12

Taylor Quinn didn’t feel well Tuesday night.

Instead it was twin sister Shannon Quinn who turned out to be the one that left the Garnet Valley players, coaches and fans feeling ill. Quinn, a Radnor High junior, tossed in five goals, with the last coming 13.8 seconds before the final whistle, as third-seeded Radnor (18-4) knocked off No. 2 Garnet Valley (20-2), 13-12, in a District One Tournament semifinal game at West Chester Henderson High.

The Red Raiders will take on eighth-seeded Conestoga, a 9-7 upset winner over Harriton in the first game of Tuesday’s doubleheader at Henderson, in the district title game at 6 p.m. Thursday at West Chester East High after Garnet Valley and Harriton play for third place.

All four teams will compete in the PIAA Girls’ Lacrosse Tournament, which begins Wednesday, May 30. Radnor won the first two PIAA titles (2009 and 2010) and Garnet Valley is the defending state champion.

“Usually I get sick before Taylor does,” Shannon Quinn said after her teammates and coaches had finished celebrating her big goal. “This time, I didn’t get sick, so I’m hoping I’ll be all right for Thursday’s game.”

That game will be a rematch of the teams’ April 19 meeting, which went to the Pioneers, 15-7.

“That game really helped us get things turned around,” second-year Radnor head coach Brooke Fritz said. “We’re a different team than we were that day.”

Radnor certainly was different from the team that lost at Garnet Valley when the teams met in a Central League game last month. The Red Raiders led that game at halftime, but Garnet Valley controlled the play in the second half and won, 11-8.

“We made mistakes in the second half and that cost us the last time,” Fritz said. “This time, we made mistakes in the first half, but we came back in the second half.”

Garnet Valley led this time at halftime, 8-6, with Jaguars senior Halley Barnes getting all four of her goals and Allyson Heavens chipping in with two of her four assists.

Quinn had scored late in the first half to cut Radnor’s deficit to two goals, but Haley Warden and Heavens quickly built the Jags’ advantage back to four goals in the opening 1:26 of the second half.

Quinn hit on a pair of 8-meter shots to help the Red Raiders get their comeback started. Natalie Miller’s third goal of the game got Radnor even with 10 minutes left.

AnnaElise Morello picked up her third goal for Garnet Valley with 8:53 to play, but the Jags did not score again. Sara Curley pulled Radnor into a tie with 4:05 to play, and Quinn finished the second in the final minute.

“I rolled the crease, got off a shot and it went in,” Quinn said. “It’s great to get the win in this game.”

Garnet Valley coach Kate Henwood saw her team win four games in a row after a district final loss to Downingtown East last spring.

“You know you’re going to have to beat these teams to get through this tournament,” Henwood said. “Tonight Radnor just wanted it more in the second half.”

Radnor 13, Garnet Valley 12

Radnor 6 7 – 13
Garnet Valley 8 4 – 12

Radnor: Shannon Quinn 5G, Natalie Miller 3G 1A, Taryn Deck 2G, Kristen Norden 1G 1A, Libby Lowry 1G, Sara Curley 1G.

Garnet Valley: Halley Barnes 4G, Annaelise Morello 3G 1A, Haley Warden 2G, Allyson Heavens 1G 4A, Kara Stroup 1G, Erica Coyne 1G.

Saves—Radnor: Grace Collins 6, Garnet Valley: Kate Stroup 10.

Chris Goldberg

By James Boyle
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/19/12

Tyler Brooke had four goals and an assist to spark Conestoga to a 13-6 victory today over Radnor in the District 1 quarterfinals at Harriton.

The top-seeded and three-time defending champion Pioneers (18-3) will play Great Valley at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the semifinals at Radnor High. Great Valley advanced with an 8-1 win over Hatboro-Horsham.

Radnor (14-7) will face Hatboro-Horsham in a playback game Tuesday at a site and time to be determined. The Red Raiders must win twice to claim the fifth and final District 1 berth in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association tournament.

Conestoga was never threatened after taking a 3-0 lead in the first period. Bradlee Lord added two goals and an assist and Jake Scott scored twice for Conestoga.

“It’s always our game plan to start off fast,” Brooke said. “Like I said, the easiest way to do that is in transition and we got some good ground balls off the faceoff and stuff like that. We executed well.”

An early man-advantage goal in the fourth quarter from Alex Manderack gave Radnor some life in the fourth quarter. The Red Raiders scored three more times before the final whistle.

Adam Goins and Jordan Klunder each had a goal and an assist while Alex Mezey, Pierre Atkinson and Connor Frisina each scored once.

“We needed to come off strong,” Lord said. “For the most part we didn’t have any letdowns. But they’re a really strong team, so at any point in the game they could have changed the game up… our defense played unbelievable.

“I don’t think I’ve ever played [Great Valley] in my career at Conestoga, so it should be interesting.”

Mike Cherry and Shane Shapiro had Radnor’s only two goals of the first half. Shapiro scored once more and had an assist in the final minutes of the game.

“We’ve been playing well recently,” said Radnor head coach John Begier. “We believed we could win the game. We had played Conestoga tough the last time and felt like we were a better team coming into this game

“We got outworked on the ground and gave up some easy goals… they took it to us.”

Begier said the Red Raiders need to refocus to have a shot at making states. They need to win twice in the playbacks to grab the final District 1 state berth.

“It’s a question of what this team wants its legacy to be,” he said. “We have another opportunity to play next week and as a group we have to decide what our legacy is… now we’ve got another opportunity to make a statement. We didn’t make a statement today.”

Ben Junior scored twice for Radnor, and Alex Manderack had one goal and one assist. Peter Donato had two assists and Tom Hemcher had one.

Brody Shea stopped five shots for Conestoga. Radnor goalie Brendan Manderack had 16 saves for Radnor.
Conestoga 13, Radnor 6

Conestoga 3-4-3-3 -13
Radnor 0-2-0-4 – 6

Conestoga
Tyler Brooke 4g, 1a
Jake Scott 2g
Connor Frisina 1g
Adam Goins 1g, 1a
Bradlee Lord 2g, 1a
Pierre Atkinson 1g
Jordan Klunder 1g, 1a
Alex Mezey 1g
Andrew DeSetfano 1a
Jamie Ikeda 1a
Miles Thomas 1a
Brody Shea 5 saves

Radnor
Shane Shapiro 2g 1a
Ben Junior 2g
Alex Manderack 1g 1a
Mike Cherry 1g
Peter Donato 2a
Tom Hemcher 1a
Brendan Manderack 16 saves
Mike Barnes 12-of 22 FO

Chris Goldberg

By Harry Chaykun
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/19/12

Natalie Miller and Kristen Norden remember the excitement of the 2009 and 2010 PIAA Girls Lacrosse championship games, both won by the Radnor High Red Raiders.

Miller and Norden, a pair of Radnor seniors, sat home last spring as Garnet Valley and Downingtown East played for the state title.

“The first thing we made up our minds that we wanted to do this year was win the district championship and the state championship,” Miller said.

Saturday morning at West Chester East High’s Zimmerman Stadium, Miller, Norden and their teammates moved one step closer to their district goal and made sure they would be in the field when the state tournament begins May 29 with a 20-10 decision over Hatboro-Horsham (18-3) in the quarterfinal round of the District One Tournament.

Miller scored five goals and had one assist and Norden and sophomore Sara Curley both chipped in with four goals and one assist for third-seeded Radnor (17-4), which takes on defending state champion Garnet Valley in a semifinal matchup at West Chester Henderson Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Hatboro-Horsham, which got four goals and one assist from senior Lizzy Carr, will play at Strath Haven in the play-back round Tuesday afternoon at 4 p.m. The winner of that game will be a state qualifier, while the loser will have to win the seventh-place game Thursday to continue in post-season play.

Norden scored Radnor’s first three goals Saturday, helping the Red Raiders to a 10-4 halftime advantage. Miller, who got two goals late in the first half, had Radnor’s first two goals of the second half.

“I didn’t get off to a good start,” the Georgetown-bound Miller said. “It was good that we got into our offense.

“Last year was so different from my first two years, when we beat everyone. We were just saying we hoped there were certain teams we could beat. That’s why we came back ready for this year.”

Norden, who is headed to Colgate, closed out her goal scoring in the second half, then helped set up Curley on her third goal.

“We wanted to make sure we had a good start today,” Norden said. “We weren’t sure what to expect from (Hatboro-Horsham), but we did know they would be a solid team.”

Junior Grace Collins turned away eight shots in goal for Radnor before giving way to senior Colleen Packer midway through the second half. Junior Taryn Deck added a pair of goals and senior Kyle Hays played well defensively and chipped in with an assist.

“We know it will be tough, but we look forward to having the chance to play against Garnet Valley again,” Norden said.

Radnor 20, Hatboro-Horsham 10

Hatboro-Horsham 4-6—10

Radnor 10-10—20

Hatboro-Horsham: Lizzy Carr 4 G 1A, Julie McKay 2G 1A, Nicole Beck 2G, Cortnee Daly 1G, Caroline Hagan 1G.

Radnor: Natalie Miller 5G 1A, Kristen Norden 4G 1A, Sara Curley 4G 1A, Taryn Deck 2G, Taylor Quinn 1G, Libby Lowry 1G, Moira Mahoney 1G, Amelie Yeager 1G, Lindsay Grossman 1G, Shannon Quinn 1A, Kyle Hays 1A, Sydney Cowles 1A..

Saves
Hatboro-Horsham—Jackie DiGiovanazzo 3

Radnor—Grace Collins 8, Colleen Packer 3.

Chris Goldberg

Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/18/12

Mike Cherry scored with seven seconds to play to lift host Radnor to a 9-8 victory over Downingtown East Thursday night in the second round of the District 1 boys’ lacrosse tournament.

Central Bucks East's Cole Rushworth heads toward the goal in Thursday's win over Plymouth Whitemarsh

The eighth-seeded Red Raiders (14-6) advanced to the quarterfinals Saturday where they will face top-seeded and central League rival Conestoga at a time and site to be determined. The ninth-seeded Cougars close at 14-6.

Peter Donato had the assist on Cherry’s game-winner.

Radnor was up, 8-6, late in the game, but Brandyn O’Connell (two goals, five assists) set up Ryan Poole to make it 8-7. O’Connell then took the ball with a minute left from midfield, went behind the net and made a strong dodge to tie the game with one minute left.

Mike Barnes, who was 15-of-20 from the face-off X, won the ensing face-off. The Cougars caused a loose ball in their defensive zone, but in the scramble the ball was picked up by Donato (two goals) behind the net. He found Cherry (two goals), who put the ball over Sam Weiss’s stick for the win.

Ben Junior added three goals for the Raiders, while Brendan Manderack had 9 saves.

Aaron Murphy added three goals for the Cougars.

Great Valley 8, Ridley 7

Tyler Haines pumped in five goals for the Patriots in their upset win over No. 4 Ridley.

Hatboro-Horsham 4, Penncrest 3

Jake Durkin led the Hatters with two goals, and Trevor Downing and Jimmy Murphy each contributed one.

The Hatters dominated defensively thanks to a strong effort by the unit of Dom DeFazio (11 groundballs), Tyler Gehlhaus, Jake Cresta, and Ryan New. Marc Poust was outstanding in goal, recording 13 saves, including some key stops in the fourth quarter. Steve Palo won 7 of 11 face-offs.

Mike McKernan made 11 saves for Penncrest.

Abington 13, Henderson 6

Matt Figueroa had three goals, three assists and four groundballs while Shane Dunn and Brian Gallagher each scored three goals to lead the Ghosts to the victory.

Konrad Thallner won 14 of 20 face-offs and Travis O’Connor had 11 saves for Abington.

Conestoga's Bradlee Lord had two goals and two assist in the Pioneers' 13-2 win over Springfield-Delco (Photo by Tim Flatley)

Chad Heisman made 10 saves for Henderson.

Central Bucks East 14, Plymouth Whitemarsh 6

Chris Vetter fired in six goals and had two assists while Matt Milici scored four goals and Parker elf added three for the Patriots.

Chris Schneekloth won 20 of 23 face-offs and scooped six groundballs.

Nick Swift and Jake Brown each scored twice for the Colonials while Andrew Sabia had 14 saves.

Conestoga 13, Springfield-Delco 2

Tyler Brooke collected three goals and four assists and Jake Scott tallied three goals while Brad lord had two goals and two assists to pace the top-seeded Pioneers to the victory.

Mark Gurenlian had a goal and an assist for the Cougars.

Chris Goldberg

Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/7/12

Meghan McGillis collected three goals and three assists while Kelly Morrison and Catie Smith each scored three goals as host Conestoga downed Upper Dublin, 14-9 today in a non-league girls’ lacrosse game that may have some impact on District 1 seedings.

The Pioneers, tied for fourth in the Central league, improved to 11-6. The Cardinals, who clinched their fifth straight Suburban One American Conference crown, fell to 14-2. They still have a date with Central League power Springfield-Delco on Friday.

Kelly Cross led the Cards with four goals and three assists and Emily Hitchings scored three goals while Sarah Gallagher made 16 saves.

Radnor 12, Archbishop Carroll 9

Shannon Quinn had five goals and an assist to lead the Red Raiders (13-3) past the host Patriots (9-8) in a non-league game involving two cross-town rivals.

Natalie Schmitt (one assist), Gabbi Hull and Kerry Newby each scored twice for the Patriots.

Chris Goldberg

Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/3/12

Natalie Miller had five goals and an assist and host Radnor rallied from six goals down to claim a key 15-11 victory over Springfield-Delco today in Central League girls’ lacrosse.
The Red Raiders improved to 8-2 in the league and 12-3 overall. The Cougars fell to 7-3 in the league and 11-3 overall. Radnor is tied in the loss column with Harriton (7-2) for second place behind Garnet Valley (9-0).

Springfield-Delco led, 9-3, late in the first half when Radnor began its stunning comeback. The Red Raiders erupted for three goals in a span of 1:42 to end the half on tallies by Taryn Deck (three goals, one assist), Miller and Kristen Norden (two goals, one assist).

Then the Raiders scored four goals to open the second half, capped by Deck’s goal to give Radnor a 10-9 lead. The Cougars tied it, but then Sara Curley put the Raiders ahead to stay.
Shannon Quinn had three goals and an assist and collected five draw controls – many of which were catalysts in the comeback. Grace Collins had 10 saves to lead the defense for the Red Raiders.

Radnor has won six games in a row and nine out of 10.

“Our junior have really stepped up and taken some on-the-field leadership,” said Radnor coach Brooke Fritz.

Alex Poplawski collected three goals and three assists for the Cougars while Nathalie Basunga had three goals and Maddy Lynch had two goals and two assists.

Radnor 15, Springfield-Delco 11

Radnor 6-9-15
Springfield 9-2- 11

Radnor goals:
Natalie Miller 5g, 1a
Shannon Quinn 3G,1a
Taryn Deck 3G, 1a
Kristen Norden 2g, 1a
Sara Curley 2g
Libby Lowry 1a
Amelie Yeager 1a
Grace Collins 10 saves

Springfield-Delco goals:
Alex Poplawski 3G, 3a
Maddy Lynch 2g, 2a
Nathalie Basunga 3G
Kate Ryan 1g
Rachel Charamella 1g
Michelle Gildea 1g
Saves Chrissy Hughes 5

Chris Goldberg

Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 4/29/12

Ben Junior had four goals and an assist as host Radnor claimed a 12-8 victory Saturday over St. Joseph’s Prep in the 12th annual Katie Samson Lacrosse Classic.

Shane Shapiro and Mike Cherry both added two goals for the Red Raiders, who improved to 9-5.

Cardinal O'Hara LSM Kevin Flatley clears vs. Bayard Rustin. Flatley and the Lions earned a rare shutout victory, 6-0.

Nick Ellis led the Hawks (8-6) with five goals and an assist.

St. Augustine Prep 6, Garnet Valley 4

Steve Pontrello had two goals and an assist and Tommy O’Neill scored twice as the Hermits dealt the Jaguars a loss.

Jules Raucci led the Jags (10-3) with two goals and an assist.

Downingtown West 9, Brunswick School (CT) 7

Eric Rankel had four goals and an assist to lead the undefeated Whippets (14-0).

Episcopal Academy 12, Springfield-Delco 3

Tyler Odell scored five goals and increased his season total to 49 and freshman Curtis Zappala had two goals and three assists to lead the Churchmen (13-3).

Brian Todaro had all three goals for the Cougars (8-5).

Cardinal O’Hara 6, Bayard Rustin 0

Tim Coyle made 11 saves to earn the shutout for the Lions (7-7), while Mike Watkins had three goals and an assist and Dan McNamara added two goals.

Shipley School 11, Haverford High 6

Mac Gallagher had four goals and an assist and Corey Rayfield added three goals while Ian McGibbon made 13 saves to pace the Gators.

Kevin Leyden led the Fords with a hat trick and Mike Muff scored twice.

Harriton 13, Archbishop Carroll 7

Greg Winig tallied four goals and Zach Fink had three goals and three assists while Jake marks posted 11 saves for the Rams.

Tim Keith led the Patriots with four goals and an assist.

Germantown Academy 11, Emmaus 6

Billy Oppenheimer poured in four goals and Greg Shildkrout had two goals and two assists while Jake Adoni (10 saves) and Tyler Crump (6 saves) combined for 16 saves for GA.

Chris Goldberg