By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 6/1/23
Owen J. Roberts coach David Schlesinger called it a “validating win.”
His top-seeded Wildcats bolted to a 6-1 lead and stifled Penncrest, 14-7, Wednesday to claim the District 1 3A championship at West Chester East.
“It’s huge, it’s the validating win we’ve been searching for,” said Schlesinger. “We set out at the beginning of the year with three goals. The first goal was to win the PAC (Pioneer Athletic Conference) championship and we did that. The next goal was to win the District and we did that.
“Now we need to rest up and get healthy and get ready for the state playoffs.”
The district title is the first for the Wildcats (23-1) since 2002 when they won the 2A crown. They last reached the district finals in 2016 when there was one class. They had fallen in the District 1 quarterfinals the past two seasons.
OJR opens PIAA play Tuesday vs. District 1 seventh-place finisher Downingtown East at a site and site to be determined. Penncrest (18-4), playing in its first district final, will meet District 3 fourth-place finisher Hempfield or South Western.
Alexa Vogelman had five goals and an assist and fellow All-American Gabbi Koury scored three goals in the first half when the Wildcats seized control. Penncrest pulled within 7-4 late in the half as Kate Stanton (two assists) tallied her three goals, but the Lions were hit for three yellow cards in the half. Nine minutes into the second half the Lions were called for a fourth card and had to play a man down for the rest of the game, making it difficult to stage a comeback.
“They definitely didn’t give up, props to them for that,” said Vogelman, a Syracuse signee who also had five draw controls and four groundballs. “We have been waiting for this moment for 3 years. It’s been building. We have this incredible depth and I think we’re a really talented team and we continue to show everybody how good we are.
“Every day we get better and better. To win it’s definitely a great moment. We definitely have a sense of confidence. We never made it to the championship and we lost in the quarterfinals (last year in states) and having those losses has taught us a lot. We don’t want to go back and feel that pain. We are riding this ride. We don’t want this to end and we are using that togetherness to motivate us.”
Koury – who also had 10 draw controls nine groundballs and four caused turnovers – noted that many of the large senior players have played together for years. Many played for Schlesinger in club lacrosse for NXT.
“This is huge,” she said. “We have been working at this since freshman year. Obviously, we didn’t have that season (due to COVID-19) and the last two years have been crucial in working towards this moment.
“I think our team has really good chemistry. We have been playing together for a really long time and it comes naturally to us. We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and we can work with that. We have a target on our backs, but we can only get better from here.”
Penncrest’s success also has been a big story. The Lions, despite having only two senior starters, have emerged as a legitimate force.
“I can’t tell you how proud I am,” said coach Caitlin Morgan. “We never held our heads down and we played with a lot of heart. It (the loss of a man) didn’t faze them. We have been in tight situations before and we’ve climbed out of them – we didn’t let that rattle us – but being a man down and getting the cards kind of killed our momentum. We learned and we’re certainly excited for the next few weeks
“This is the first time we’ve been in this situation. We’re a really young team so these are growing pains. The girls have a lot of of determination and a lot of grit.”
Sierra Milano added two goals for the Wildcats while Calli Mullen, Ava Clemson, Blakely Doyle and Colby Wasson also scored.
Can the Wildcats make a run at a state title? Schlesinger believes her team has made the commitment.
“There’s a lot of distractions this time of year, but this is an extraordinary group that has been high performers since they were little girls,” he said. “They’re incredibly competitive and they love this – they absolutely love this. They had to give up Senior Week? They’d rather be here!”
Penncrest
Kate Stanton: 3G, 2A, 1DC, 1GB
Kaitlyn Roth: 1G, 2A, 3DC, 3GB, 2CTO
Kathryn Harding: 1G, 2DC, 2GB
Cara Childs: 1G, 2DC, 1CTO
Reese Bigler: 1G, 1GB
Mira Kuttymartin: 1GB, 1CTO
Marissa Kamin: 2CTO
Taryn Tagtmeir: 1GB
Lylah Pompetti: 1CTO
Adisyn Bernhardt: 1GB
Sara Knasiak: 6 Saves, 2GB
OJ Roberts
Alexa Vogelman 5g, 1a, 5dc, 4gb
Gabbi Koury 3g, 1a, 10dc, 9gb, 4ct
Sierra Milano 2g, 4gb
Blakely Doyle 1g, 1a, 1gb
Colby Wasson 1g
Kalli Mullen 1g, 2gb
Cailin Harrington 1a, 2ct, 1dc, 2gb, 1ct
Rachel Sbei 1ct
Morgan Kras 1gb
Ava Clemson 1g, 1a
Korrigan Sweeney 12 saves
