Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/6/17
No. 9 Cabrini raised its 17th consecutive CSAC title after today’s 18-6 win over visiting Marywood.
Senior Evan Downey (Palmyra, PA/Palymra) was named the championship game’s MVP after posting two goals, as assist, six ground balls and two caused turnovers, becoming the 12th player in program history to record 100 career goals.
Freshman Jake Klein (Wernersville, PA/Wilson West Lawn) added a career high eight points on three goals and five assists, while sophomore Timmy Brooks (Haverford School) tallied three goals to reach 100 career points.Sophomore Jordan Krug (Cherokee-NJ) added four goals and an assists.
With the victory, the No. 9 Cavaliers made their reservation for a 16th straight NCAA Tournament appearance, as the win secured the league’s automatic bid to the tournament. The Blue and White will learn their NCAA Tournament fate tonight as the NCAA Selection Show is broadcast at 9pm on NCAA.com.
Cabrini’s 10th consecutive victory improved the Cavaliers to 15-3, while the Pacers fell to 9-10.
Freshman Tyler Kostack (Marple Newtown) and junior Zack Gregory (Conestoga) matched Brooks’ three points, as both paired a goal and two helpers. Junior Riley Michaels (Pottsgrove) controlled the faceoff spot, going 16-24 and securing a game high 11 ground balls. Krug, Kostack, junior Ethan Trusty (Penncrest) and freshman Tommy DeLuca added three ground balls each.
Eleven Cavaliers caused a turnover in today’s game, as sophomore goaltender Riley White (Plymouth Whitemarsh) joined Downey with two. The sophomore also posted six saves in his first start of the season.
The Cavaliers were determined to put today’s game away early, as they set a tone with a dominant first period. Cabrini outshot Marywood 12-1, won five of the period’s six faceoffs and saw the Pacers commit seven turnovers.
Gregory scored the game’s first goal just 33 seconds after the opening whistle and the Blue and White was off and running. Klein and Downey added goals in a span of 17 seconds before Downey and Krug extended the lead to 5-0 at the end of the first quarter.
The Cavaliers stayed hot in the second quarter, as it continued its shutout. Krug netted two second quarter goals before hitting Klein in the final minute of the period, sending Cabrini into the half with a 9-0 cushion.
Brooks and Klein added goals early in the third quarter before Marywood finally marked the score book with 11:22 left in the third period. Brooks added his second tally of the period with 64 seconds on the clock, as Cabrini carried a 14-4 lead into the final frame.
Kostack recorded all three of his points in the final period, as he found freshmen Drew Hanna (Penncrest) and Mike Gerzabek (Springfield-Delco) for fourth quarter goals. Fellow rookie Harrison Schadt added two helpers in the quarter, including one to freshman Tyler McKee.
Cabrini women win title
The Cabrini women’s lacrosse team continued its dominance of the Colonial States Athletic Conference Saturday, as it claimed its sixth consecutive CSAC title with a 20-9 win over Marywood.
The win marked the 16th conference title for the Cavaliers, who will make their 14th NCAA Tournament appearance next week, after claiming the league’s automatic bid.
The Cavaliers will learn their NCAA Tournament fate tonight at 9:30pm, when the NCAA Selection Show is broadcast on NCAA.com.
The victory also improved the Blue and White to 16-3 overall, tying the 2007 team for most wins in a single season.
Sophomore Liz Hoeffner was named the game’s Most Valuable Player after recording 10 goals in today’s win, converting 4-5 free position shots.
Senior Allie Vallen (Maple Shade-NJ) also posted a career day, with a career high eight points on four goals and four helpers.
Sophomore Avery Murphy (Archbishop Carroll) paired three goals and three assists with a career high 11 draw controls. The trio of senior Jess Breuning (St. Hubert), junior Sash Wozniak (Spring-Ford) and freshman Lauren Hughes (Methacton) posted two points each, combining for three goals and three assists.
Of the 14 Cavaliers who saw action, eight scooped at least two ground balls, with Breuning’s four earning game high honors, while Vallen, Hughes and junior Gabby Lee (Academy Park) added three each.
Cabrini’s defensive effort caused 17 of Marywood’s 23 turnovers on the day, with Lee joining classmate Jackie Neary (Kingsway Regional-NJ) and sophomore Katie Kucia (Archbishop Carroll) with three each.
Senior goaltender Megan Barlow (Academy Park) secured her 16th win of the season with seven saves, two ground balls and a caused turnover.
The Cavaliers wasted little time grabbing an early lead, as Vallen, Hoeffner and Murphy gave the Blue and White a 3-0 in the game’s opening minutes. The Pacers grabbed the game’s momentum with a pair of goals but Cabrini put the game away minutes later.
Despite playing woman-down, Murphy and Hoeffner found the back of the net, swinging the momentum back to the Blue and White. The two goals sparked a run of nine consecutive goals, including five from Hoeffner’s crosse, as the Cavaliers built a 12-2 lead with 5:48 left in the half.
Marywood recorded the final three goals of the stanza to pull within 12-5, but it would get no closer.
Cabrini opened the second half with another three goal spurt, including a Hughes goal just 11 seconds after the whistle. Both teams exchanged goals before the Cavaliers closed their scoring with a 4-0 run.
The Blue and White was in control of today’s action over the entire 60 minutes, as it outshot the Pacers 40-18 and held them to just five free position shots. Marywood converted just 14 of its 21 clearing chances, while the Cavaliers recorded just 14 turnovers, their second lowest amount of the season.