By Harry Chaykun
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 6/1/19
The clock kept running as Harriton players passed the ball and made cuts in front of the goal during the second half of the Rams’ PIAA Class 3A quarterfinal game against Radnor at Harold Zimmerman Stadium at West Chester East Saturday afternoon.
Harriton, the District 1 runner-up, had been blitzed, 23-11, by Radnor in a Central League game played in early April. The teams played with a running ‘mercy’ clock for a good part of that afternoon.
“No running clock today,” said Rams head coach George Dick said after Harriton (22-2) knocked off Radnor, 13-7, to qualify for a semifinal round match Tuesday with Downingtown West (at Henderson, 4 p.m.). The Whippets eliminated District 1 champion Conestoga, 12-11, in overtime in the second game of the doubleheader at East
“What did they have, something like 29 draw controls the last time we played them? We’re a different team now than we were then,” said Dick. “Whatever they did that day against us, things went their way. Today, we controlled the tempo, used our game plan, and we got a great team win.”
Senior Allison Schwab, who scored the Rams’ first two goals, and junior Lucy Dwyer both got three of their four goals in the first half as Harriton built a 9-5 lead in the opening 25 minutes.
“We used to watch films a lot, but we stopped doing that,” Schwab said. “Since then we just go out to play our game and do what we know how to do. We had been knocked out of districts in the second round for three years in a row. That’s why winning these state games means so much to us, especially the seniors. Everyone on this team is just so close.”
Harriton’s draw control over Radnor was 13-9, with 10 of the 13 coming in the first half, when senior Emily Stewart and junior Maddie Henderson had four draw controls apiece.
“Every day since that last Radnor game we’ve practiced draw controls,” said Stewart, who finished with three. “Especially (Friday). And that really helped us today.”
Senior Reilly Short was among the defenders who helped hold the Radnor attack in check. Henderson, Mikayla Braver, and sophomore Alexia Loucia played well in front of junior goalie Alex Turner, who had several key stops in the second half.
“She was one of the reasons we won this game,” Dick said of Turner.
Short spent some time face-guarding Radnor senior Cate Cox, whose play from behind the cage helped the Raiders to many of their goals in the teams’ first meeting.
“Things just didn’t work out for us in that first game,” said Short, who is headed to Wesleyan to play soccer. “We knew we had to keep going and do what we could to work things out.”
Senior Katelin Williams was another Harriton player who knew that the team gained much from their earlier setback to Radnor.
“We learned from that game,” Willliams said. “And I think they might have overlooked us a little because they had beaten us so badly.”
Junior Ellie Mueller scored three goals, junior Julia Rigolizzo added two goals, and sophomore Cierra Hopson chipped in with four assists for Radnor (18-6).
The Raiders, who had sat idle for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday waiting out weather-related postponements of their first-round game with Parkland, had to play on consecutive days. Many of their players made a quick dash out of the parking lot following the contest to head back home to prepare for Saturday night’s Senior Prom.
“No excuses,” Radnor head coach Brooke Fritz said. “We just couldn’t stop them from getting draw controls. And they played well.
“We’d get up a little momentum, start getting back close, and then we’d make a mistake and they’d come back and turn things around again. We just weren’t able to catch a break.”
Harriton 13, Radnor 7
Harriton 9 4 – 13
Radnor 5 2 – 7
Harriton
Grace Dwyer 2 G 2 A 2 DCs 4 GBs
Katelin WIlliams 1 DC
Emily Stewart 2 G 4 DCs 3 DCs
Allie Schwab 4G
Lucy Dwyer 4 G 3 DCs 4 GBs
Maddie Henderson 1 G 4 DCs 4GBs
Alex Turner 6 saves
Radnor
Ellie Mueller 3G
Julia Rigolizzo 2G
Tori DeCarlo 1G
Margaret Mooney 1G
Cierra Hopson 4A.
Phoebe Proctor 4 saves
