By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 8/22/23
The 2023 Phillylacrosse Girls’ Players of the Year did a lot of winning.
Senior midfielder Ava Bleckley led Archbishop Carroll to its third straight PIAA Class 2A championship and 22 straight wins to close the season. Senior attack Lex Ventresca led Episcopal Academy to its second straight Inter-Ac League title with a perfect 10-0 mark. And Owen J. Roberts senior midfielder Alexa Vogelman and Gabbi Koury guided the Wildcats to their first PIAA 3A crown and first District 1 ttle in 22 years with a 27-1 mark. All three of these teams finished in the national rankings and closed as the top three teams in the region.
See bios below.
Ava Bleckley, Senior Midfielder, Archbishop Carroll
Ava Bleckley and her Archbishop Carroll teammates knew how difficult it would be to face expectations after the Patriots had completed a rare undefeated state championship run in 2022.
“Throughout the offseason last year we knew that there was going to be a target on our back after last season,” said Bleckley. “Being so great last year meant we had to work harder and keep up the work because there were teams out there that could potentially beat us if we weren’t giving it our all.”
The Patriots did lose once in 2023 – a 9-8 defeat to Agnes Irwin in the season’s second game. After that, the Pats reeled off 22 straight wins and rolled to their third straight PIAA Class 2A championship, also winning their 22nd straight Catholic League title and finishing in the top 10 in both national polls.
Bleckley, a USA Lacrosse All-American, was at the core of Carroll’s success in every way, collecting team highs in scoring (50 goals, 33 assists) while adding 78 draw controls and 24 caused turnovers.
“The practices during the season were definitely the reason behind all of our team’s success,” said Bleckley, who heads to James Madison. “Coach (Lorraine) Beers has us doing very competitive drills, game-like drills.
“Everyday, everyone on the team showed up and wanted to work hard. We knew after losing key seniors the season prior that we all had to step up and find ways to be successful.”
Bleckley had extra motivation this year. She played at Carroll as a freshman, but spent her sophomore season at Academy of Notre Dame. She was a key player on Carroll’s league title team in 2022, but PIAA transfer rules prevented her from being eligible to play in the PIAA tourney and she had to watch as Carroll toppled Twin Valley, 10-8, for the crown.
In this year’s PIAA final, also against Twin Valley, Bleckley scored the game’s first two goals and had four at halftime as Carroll rolled, 17-5, at Penn State’s Panzer Stadium.
“I was so motivated, especially since I couldn’t play last year due to the PIAA rules,” she said. “I was hungry to get back here.”
Bleckley said her team may have benefited from the early-season loss to Agnes Irwin. Soon after, the Pats defeated Owen J. Roberts – which went 27-1 and won the 3A title – as Bleckley contributed three goals and two assists.
“That was a great win for the team,” said Bleckley. “I think losing to Agnes Irwin helped take a little of the pressure off us after being undefeated the year before.”
Beers said Bleckley’s two-way skills are rare. “She’s really an awesome player because she plays both ends of the field so well. We haven’t seen a defensive player like her often. She can change the game just with her defense alone and that mentality helped us be so successful.”
Lex Ventresca, Senior Attack, Episcopal Academy
Lex Ventresca knew she had to play a key leadership role this year as one of few senior starters at Episcopal Academy.
“This year, I was the only senior on attack with a lot of new young talent in our offensive unit,” she said. “My role was definitely a little different compared to years past. I focused a lot more on leadership and bringing the offensive unit together by helping everyone with spacing and learning our different sets.
“I think our team was successful because of our willingness to learn and work hard every day. We also had great chemistry on and off the field. On the field, we would celebrate each other for things like coming up with ground balls, defensive stops, or post-goal hugs! We also spent quality time together off the field and this helped us grow closer throughout the season, which translated to success on the field.”
Despite its youth, that camaraderie helped EA to a second straight Inter-Ac League championship – with a perfect 10-0 mark. EA finished 16-3 and among the Top 20 in both national rankings.
Ventresca, who heads to Northwestern, had a team high 86 points (46 goals and 40 assists). She earned the Inter-Ac MVP and was a USA Lacrosse All-American. But more importantly, she was the glue to the attack as well as a key on the draw circle.
“Lex models our program’s core values consistently, especially ‘hard work’ and ‘purpose.'” said EA coach Josie Tomaino. “Lex’s dedication to strengthening her individual skills has made her an incredibly powerful and dynamic attacker.
“As the only senior on the offensive end this season, we relied on Lex to use her keen game sense, efficient communication skills and clear vision to direct the players around her to work as a smooth unit. This is why EA was so successful as a team this season – we were balanced and utilized all of the players in our program in a variety of ways.
“Our senior captains, including Lex Ventresca, helped to make that happen! I’m counting on the players below her to follow in her footsteps so that we can continue our tradition of success!
Ventresca said EA managed to sweep league play by executing consistently, not an easy task for a young team. EA finished its season especially strong, defeating Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, 18-10, Agnes Irwin, 13-4, and Germantown Academy, 14-5, to close the year.
“With so many young players, it was important as captains to help build confidence, especially for the girls playing new positions on the field,” she said. “It was also a big thing for us to show everyone that they need to let the game come to them rather than forcing things.
“Working together for a high percentage shot rather then shooting to shoot was better for the team. Once everyone bought into the concepts and realized how important their role was on the team, we really came together and played incredibly strong from end line to end line.”
Gabbi Koury & Alexa Vogelman, Senior Midfielders, Owen J. Roberts
Alexa Vogelman said winning the PIAA championship this season was the perfect ending to the 2023 season.
“Every athlete dreams of winning a state championship,” said the Owen J. Roberts senior midfielder. “Just to be here and play in one is an incredible accomplishment. To win it is like this was like having a cherry on top because we have that unique family bond that no one else has.”
The 2023 season was everything the Wildcats had asked for. Most of the seniors were three-year starters, but the previous two seasons ended in losses in the PIAA quarterfinals. Expectations were high in 2023 and OJR reached its goals with Vogelman and Koury leading the way.
The Wildcats finished 27-1 and claimed the Pioneer Athletic Conference title and first District 1 crown since 2001 by defeating Penncrest, 14-7, in the 3A finale. The ‘Cats faced Penncrest again in the PIAA title game at Penn State’s Panzer Stadium, and after leading just 7-6 at halftime, they dominated the second 25 minutes and coasted to their first PIAA title, 17-9. OJR finished among the top 15 teams in both national polls.
The statistics for both Koury (playing at Florida) and Vogelman (Syracuse) were staggering. Koury had four goals and six assists in the game and closed the season with a remarkable 115 goals and 90 assists. Vogelman had six goals in the title win and closed with 117 goals and 64 assists. OJR coach David Schlesinger said the numbers only told some of their contributions.
“Gabbi’s leadership, her selflessness, and her willingness to take on even a larger load show her intangibles,” Schlesinger said “Gabbi played her best in our biggest games. She is one of the three most mentally tough players I’ve ever coached. Gabbi dominates the game from the draw circle, through the midfield and in both the offensive and defensive zones. Finally, she is a kind, thoughtful, wonderful kid who is beloved by her teammates and coaches.
Vogelman – who later earned the MVP award in the Senior All-America Game which included Koury, Bleckley and Ventresca – also will be remembered for a passionate speech delivered at halftime of the title game after Penncrest had scored the final four goals of the first half to make it a one-goal game.
“We talked about the mental aspect of the game and not letting those mistakes fog our mentality and I think we did a pretty good job coming back in the second half,” Vogelman said. “We were playing it play by play, getting the 50-50 balls, doing the little things right.”
“We’re a very together team. We do everything together, we travel everywhere together, varsity JV, coach, manager. We created such a family bond. It’s such a great feeling.”
Koury said the Wildcats regrouped at halftime in the title game, knowing they had the confidence to reach their final goal of a state championship.
“I think we got caught up in the momentum a bit, but we had a really good halftime talk where we reminded each other that we’re just playing lacrosse,” she said. “We knew if we calmed down and took it one play at a time, we’d be fine. Like Alexa said, it was super exciting to finally breach this goal.
“We worked so hard at every practice the whole entire season and to achieve that goal was awesome. It was a once-in-a-lifetime thing and it all started with our relationships.”
Schlesinger said having two standout players that played so well together made his team almost impossible to defend.
“Alexa and Gabbi have played sports together since grade school and have forged a deep and trusting bond,” he said. “They played soccer and basketball, along with lacrosse. They are both such smart players, and trust each other so much, that they know what the other is thinking or seeing either with the ball or off-ball.
“That bond, along with their elite skill sets and athleticism, created a remarkable dynamic duo. Lex is also a passionate leader on the team, very vocal and demanding the best from all her teammates. Her halftime message during the State championship game will become legendary; topics of emotional intelligence and taking advantage of our unique opportunity to accomplishing something few others have.”
