By Bradley Schlegel
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/17/15
Springfield-Delco freshman midfielder Kyle Long admitted he was a little nervous before Saturday’s District 1 quarterfinal game with Spring-Ford at Harriton High.
“But once it started, it seemed just like the game I have loved playing my entire life,” he said.
Long had no butterflies when he scored with 13 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to lift the Cougars to a 9-8 victory and a berth in Tuesday’s semifinals vs. Central Bucks East at Henderson High (6 p.m.).
Lucas Spence delivered a game-high five goals for the fourth-seeded Cougars (15-4), who advance to the PIAA Tournament for the second straight season. Dan Wasson contributed one goal and three assists, while James Spencer recorded 11 saves.
“When you consider how competitive lacrosse is in this area, getting to states two years in a row is pretty special,” Springfield-Delco head coach Tom Lemiuex said.
Zach Hare finished with three goals and two assists for the fifth-seeded Rams (21-2), who travel to top-seeded Garnet Valley in the first round of playbacks Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. Carter Gensler added two goals and Chris Morgan recorded 10 saves.
Springfield-Delco – which built an early 5-0 lead, then fell behind 7-6 at the end of three quarters – held the ball for nearly all of the final two minutes with the score tied 8-8.
During a timeout with two minutes left, Lemieux called for Lucas Spence to take the initial run at the opposing goal cage. The coach identified Long and Wasson as second options.
The Cougars fed the ball to Long, who was being guarded by a short-stick defender. Long then sprinted right, where he utilized a pick to create enough space to take a shot.
“Once I got to my strong side, I let it go,” said Long, who added two assists.
The Rams took possession on the ensuing face-off. Head coach Kevin Donnelly called a timeout with nine seconds remaining. But a Springfield defender intercepted a pass to secure the victory.
“We had trouble stopping (the Cougars) for a couple stretches,” Donnelly said. “Our guys played a lot of heart. I think the slow start set us back in the long run.’
Spring-Ford 1 4 1 2 — 8
Springfield-D 3 1 3 2 — 9
Spring-Ford
Zach Hare 3g, 2a
Ray Orcutt 1g
Carter Gensler 2g
Jake Vosaver 2a
Daniel Cassidy 1g
Austin Pacharo 1g
Chris Morgan 10 saves
Springfield-Delco
Lucas Spence 5g, 1a
Colin Blake 1g
Kyle Long 1g, 2a
Dan Wasson 1g, 3a
Mike Gerzabek 1g
James Spence 11 saves
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