By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 9/6/21
It was said by many that Radnor had no superstars, but many stars on the path to the 2021 PIAA Class AAA championship.
And senior Tori DiCarlo typified that assessment. Radnor coach Kristin Addis called her the ideal cog in a machine that claimed its fourth state title since the PIAA began sanctioning lacrosse in 2009.
DiCarlo was a key on offense (48 goals, 30 assists), a mainstay on the draw (78 draw controls) and emerged as a top defensive midfielder after being primarily an attack player in 2019-20. Above all, her leadership was a big part of the Raiders’ drive to the national rankings.
With those accomplishments, DiCarlo has been named the Phillylacrosse.com Co-Player of the Year for 2021 with Conestoga’s Rachel Clark and Haddonfield’s McKenzie Blake.
“I think what impressed me about Tori is that she came in this season wanting to be a midfielder so she could excel at the next level,” said Addis. “She had to learn a lot on the defensive end. But Tori is a natural hustler and has grit and really makes an impact all over the field, on both ends between the 30s.”
DiCarlo, who began her college career at the United States Naval Academy in July, believes that losing in the District 1 semifinals to Garnet Valley helped change the direction of the season.
“The Garnet Valley loss was a shock to us,” said DiCarlo, of the 7-6 defeat. “Teams can lose momentum (in the playoffs), but we got our momentum back and kept it up, even on the bus rides. We’d have the music up loud! We didn’t want to lose that energy.”
After that fateful loss, the Raiders won a third-place game over rival Conestoga, 11-8, and then rode the momentum, the loud music and the energy to a memorable finish.
The Raptors later won a critical PIAA Class AAA semifinal match, again over Conestoga, 12-9, as DiCarlo had two goals, three assists and six draws. Radnor then defeated Manheim Township, 11-5, at West Chester East to claim the PIAA Class AAA championship.
Addis said DiCarlo’s intangibles were typical of the entire team.
“Tori was often the first person at practice, and whether she was working on her stickwork or shooting, she always had a smile on her face,” Addis said of the USA Lacrosse All-American and Academic All-American. “Her energy was really encouraging to all her teammates.”
“I think I was looking at her as a midfielder last year, but unfortunately we didn’t get too much time to delve in. She is an explosive dodgers and goal scorer. I don’t want to take that away from her, but by the last game she was one of most reliable defenders. The thing about Tori is she always just wanted to learn.”
DiCarlo shared the role of taking draws with Margaret Mooney. “Between the two they were tough to beat,” said Addis.
It was clear all season that Radnor had exceptional depth – something DiCarlo said was even more valuable due to the COVID protocols and restrictions all teams faced in 2021.
“The depth on our team is what I believe led us to the state championship,” she said. “Everyone could step up in time of need; everyone could score and we had incredible depth at attack.
“We had players that were really dynamic and everyone was able to execute. If some players were being doubled or faceguarded, they’d give it to the next person and they could get the job done. We took advantage of that the whole season.”
DiCarlo admitted dealing with COVID was tricky, but it forced players to be more disciplined on and off the field.
“We had to figure out what to do on the fly,” she said. “During Spring Break seven of us got COVID, but then other teammates stepped up. We showed we could get through adversity. We had to be flexible. I think those challenges made us closer as a team.”
DiCarlo said the true emotion of winning a state title didn’t fully hit her that day until she and many of her teammates got to watch the Radnor boys’ team win it a few hours later; all the Radnor players that were in attendance got onto the field for a boys’/girls’ championship picture.
“We played the game like a normal game, but when it was over I was so excited,” she said of the feeling right after the championship win. “All the seniors got to go out on such a high note. Then, getting to watch the boys celebrate and going onto the field with them was such a happy moment. I was grateful to have that opportunity.”
DiCarlo knew the 2021 season could end at any time. That made her fully appreciate the opportunity to play.
“We were so grateful to play and every practice we came out like it could be out last one,” she said. “So we kept coming out with energy; we played for our seniors that lost last season. I think that kind of brought us together. And when we couldn’t be in school together, practice and games were something we could look forward to.
“We had such awesome coaches pushing us. Everyone appreciated it and it was all worth it.”