Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 8/22/23
One coach expected to reach the state finals, while the other believed it was possible when others may have thought it was not.
Owen J. Roberts’ David Schlesinger guided his Wildcats to a 27-1 season and their first PIAA championship, defeating Penncrest, 17-9. OJ Roberts also downed Penncrest in the District 1 final. Few would have picked Penncrest to finish 21-5 and reach such heights, but Coach Caitlin Morgan did.
For their accomplishments, Schlesinger and Morgan have been named the 2023 Phillylacrosse Girls’ Team Coaches of the Year.
David Schlesinger, Owen J. Roberts
In four seasons at Owen J. Roberts, Schlesinger’s Wildcats finished 90-12. But it was this season when all the squad’s goals were met.
In 2021 and 2022, the team went 43-5, but each year OJR was eliminated in the PIAA quarterfinals. This year, with most of the starters back for a third season, Schlesinger felt his squad had matured.
“The nine OJR seniors had amazing success in ’21 and ’22, but were not mentally ready to get past the quarterfinals of Districts and States,” said Schlesinger, who stepped down after the state title win and recently was hired as an assistant women’s coach at Ursinus College. “We saw the advantage Radnor had against us in 2021 with their seniors against our talented sophomores.
“This year, we had the talent and physical and emotional maturity to be confident that this was our year. So we established three ambitious goals at the beginning of the season: win the PAC, D1, & States.”
Owen J. Roberts made a statement win early by defeating defending PIAA champion Conestoga, 9-4, in the season’s fourth game. OJR did fall to defending and eventual 2A champion Archbishop Carroll, 10-8, two games later, but rolled through the PAC schedule and league title game. The ‘Cats defeated Conestoga again in the District 1 semis, 7-4, and routed Penncrest, 14-7, for its first District 1 crown since 2001.
In states, Owen J. Roberts again downed Conestoga in the semis, 6-4, and then dominated the second half in the state final vs. Penncrest, breaking open a 7-6 game.
OJ Roberts senior All-American Alexa Vogelman says Schlesinger built a family in his tenure.
“There are three words to describe the 2023 OJR girls’ lacrosse team determined, resilient, and family. Coach Schlesinger instilled a culture that was family based, allowing us players to create a strong and unique bond,” said Vogelman, a Co-Player of the Year in 2023. ‘We had a very talented team this year, and over the years us seniors built a strong relationship with Coach Schles, and that helped us to be able to communicate with one another.”
Schlesinger posted a 90-12 record in his four seasons at Owen J. Roberts. He also felt fortunate to coach many of this year’s seniors while leading the 2023 club team for NXT. He said that this year’s seniors had only team goals.
“They were all hyper competitive, wanted to learn, wanted to work hard, and loved winning while hated hated losing,” said Schlesinger, who stepped down after the season and accepted a position as an assistant for the Ursinus women’s team. “The sense of accomplishment and validation is incredible. It still feels surreal. But we did it and I’m so incredibly proud of my team and the community that has supported us for the past 5 years.”
Said Vogelman: Throughout the season Schles was very determined to meet the goals us as a team set at the beginning of the year. He pushed us to be better and to learn from our mistakes practice after practice. Growth is not easy, but as team we grew tremendously mentally and physically from previous years and Schles played a major role in that.
“Coach Schlesinger will leave behind an incredible culture and foundation that he helped created when he became coach years ago!! I am so excited for him on his new journey and I know me and the rest of the team thank him and wish him the best of luck!”
Caitlin Morgan, Penncrest
Until 2023, Penncrest had only reached the PIAA tournament once, and had never played in a Class 3A game. This year’s squad had few seniors in starting roles, but Morgan, in her sixth season, was confident the team was ready to make a big step and finally contend in the mighty Central League and beyond.
“I knew that our junior class had the experience under its belt,” she said. “The coaches knew we needed to believe and get past the ‘Penncrest stigma.’ I thought the sophomores would step up once I saw how hard we worked in the off-season. We worked so hard in the fall season and along with the junior class they bought in.”
Penncrest started the season with nine wins, but it was the 10th, a 12-11 victory over Radnor, that proved how far the Lions had come.
“The win over Radnor gave us confidence and proved that what the coaches were telling them was true,” said Morgan. “We had been building the culture for six years, and the fruits of the feeder program and having coaches that all went to Penncrest has paid off.”
Morgan said the Lions proved they could challenge for a state title when they defeated Central league champion Springfield-Delco, 13-12, in the District 1 semifinals. They fell to Owen J. Roberts, 14-7, in the title game but get another chance at the Wildcats after disposing of Springfield again in the PIAA semis, 10-5. In the state finals, Penncrest fell behind OJ Roberts, 7-1, but staged a stunning run at the end of the opening half to pull within 7-6. The Wildcats pulled away in the second half, but Penncrest’s showing did not go unnoticed.
“I think the huge factor in our success was that the girls just trusted each other,” said Morgan. “There was no drama, they celebrated each others successes. Obviously, the junior class was very strong and we weren’t relying on one person. The camaraderie showed off the field and on the field.”
Morgan said the family atmosphere of the program is a key. She graduated from Penncrest in 2001 and was joined by Penncrest grads Jackie Baker and Kathryn Flick when she took the head job 6 years ago. Katie Doyle (2014) came on 5 years ago and Heather Phillips (2001) joined the staff this season.
“The win over Radnor catapulted us and proved what we as coaches had been telling them,” said Morgan. “The talent was there, we just had to get rid of the stigma and mindset that we coulnd’t compete for a title. We’ve been building the culture for six years. We have the feeder program and we want to keep them here at Penncrest.”
Penncrest junior standout Kate Stanton said Morgan and the staff has built a winning atmosphere.
“Coach Morgan and her constant positive energy helped to keep the team pumped as the season grew longer,” said Stanton. “Coach made every practice and game fun by incorporating new team bonding activities before big games.
“She values our mental health and our game-day mindset, so we spend a lot of time at practice focusing on building confidence in one another. I think the most special part about being a part of Penncrest Lacrosse would be the contagious energy from our coaches because it gets the team more energized and ready to take on our opponents. It is really special how much Coach Morgan values having fun while playing lacrosse and building a competitive atmosphere within our team.”