By Bradley Schlegel
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 6/6/15
HERSHEY, Pa. – Jack Wilson scored with 44.2 seconds left in overtime Saturday to lift Radnor to an 11-10 victory over St. Joseph’s Prep in the PIAA Title game at Hersheypark Stadium.
“I’m in disbelief, total shock,” Wilson said after being mobbed by his teammates and spectators who rushed the field. “I was wide open and I had a clear lane. My shot just went in.”
Wilson scored on a pass from Drew Ryan to snap a tie and give the Raiders (21-6) their first state title. Ryan finished with a team-high four goals and two assists.
“When the goal went in, I had to double check to make sure,” Radnor coach John Begier said. “What a crazy, emotional feeling.”
Alex Andersen stopped 11 shots, four of which came in the fourth quarter and four-minute overtime Radnor, the No. 3 seed from District 1.
“Alex made some huge saves,” the coach said. “He is a leader of our defense.”
Kevin Stump had three goals for the Hawks (19-6), who rallied from a three-goal deficit in the fourth quarter to force overtime. Stephen Tobia and Griffin Fleming scored twice.
Goals by Fleming and Tobia in the final four minutes of regulation completed a comeback for St. Joe’s Prep, which trailed 9-6 early in the fourth quarter.
Andersen stopped a hard shot by Fleming with less than 10 seconds to force overtime for the Red Raiders.
In the overtime, the Hawks dominated possession. But Anderson kept the game alive with pivotal saves on shots from Peter Gayhardt and Fleming.
“It was an anxious time,” said Ryan, a 2015 midfielder who stood at midfield watching the action. “There definitely some worries. But I had confidence in my team. We knew Alex would stand on his head. We were very fortunate.”
According to Begier, the goalkeeper and six defenders performed as a unit to prevent the game-winning goal.
“We all have faith in each other,” Andersen said. “We knew that was the time to dig in and step up.”
After gaining possession, Radnor called timeout with 59 seconds remaining in overtime. According to Ryan, the team called a play it has been working on for half the season.
“We had it all mapped out,” Ryan said of the game-winning goal. “That was the best execution I’ve seen all season. And that’s not just about the timing of the goal.”
St. Joseph’s Prep 2 3 1 4 0 – 10
Radnor 3 2 3 2 1 – 11
St. Joseph’s Prep
Mike Shapiro 1g, 1a
Kevin Stump 3g
Stephen Tobia 2g
Andrew Watts 1g
Peter Gayhardt 1g
Griffin Fleming 2g
Kyle Scheurle 1a
Daniel Fisher 1a
Mike Marchese 10 saves
Radnor
Jack Norton 1g, 2a
Clayton Proctor 2g
Drew Ryan 4g, 2a
Jack Wilson 2g
Kyler Albany 1g
Hal Marshall 1a
Mike Thompson 1g 1a
Alex Andersen 11 saves
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