By Harry Chaykun
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 4/27/2
It seemed like the classic matchup this morning when two PIAA powers, Archbishop Carroll, three-time defending Class 2A state champion, hosted its neighbor Radnor, seeking its first 3A title since 2021.
In a game that met expectations in excitement, Carroll (13-1, ranked No. 2 by Phillylacrosse.com) rallied from a four-goal deficit with nine minutes to play to claim an 11-10 overtime decision over the Raptors (12-2, No. 4).
Junior Claire Sexton, who admitted “this wasn’t one of my better games,” rifled a shot into the cage after 1:47 of play in overtime to send the Patriots home happy.
“I’m so happy with the way our girls came back and I’m so proud of them,” Carroll head coach Lorraine Beers said. “We have to play good teams like Radnor and Penncrest. And we’re playing Conestoga next week. Facing that kind of opposition is just what we need.
“Radnor is a very good team. We kind of handled them the last two years we played, but we knew this would be a good game. We lost so many outstanding players from our (2023) team and they have an experienced team. Throw in the neighborhood rivalry and you wind up with a game like this one.”
Radnor – which is undefeated in the Central League – scored the only three goals of the first quarter, but Kate O’Neill later tallied had a pair of Carroll goals in the last three minutes of the first half as the Patriots cut their deficit to 4-3.
“We needed to settle down and play the way we know how,” Beers said.
Sarah Kelley got three of her four goals in the third quarter and Radnor entered the final 12 minutes of play ahead, 9-6.
Chloe Bleckley did come up with what turned out to be a very important goal for Carroll just before the horn sounded to end the period.
Junior Taylor Murphy (3G, 1A), earned her 200th career point to put Radnor ahead, 10-6, with 9:12 to play. Defensive work by Sienna Golden, O’Neill, Riley Formica, Ava Talago and Jayanna Ramsey-Williams in front of goalie Mei Rader (seven saves) kept Radnor in check for the remainder of the fourth quarter.
Greta Potten, who worked hard taking draws, got the Patriots’ comeback started with a goal that was assisted by freshman Morgan Wood as Carroll made the most of a player-up advantage following a Radnor yellow card.
Less than a minute later, it was Samantha Hewitt cutting the Patriots’ deficit to two goals while her team still enjoyed the extra-player advantage.
Bleckley scored with 3:33 left on an 8-meter shot then was set by Golden for the tying goal three minutes later.
“We knew our mindset had to change,” Bleckley said of her team’s early deficit. “We just had to be able to work together.”
Wood, who chipped in with one goal and two assists and who is far from the tallest player on the Carroll roster, made the biggest play of her varsity playing days when she got her stick above all the others and came up with the draw control as overtime began.
“I think she jumped about 10 feet into the air,” Beers said.
Bleckley added more praise for her young teammate.
“She was really something the way she played out here today,” Bleckley said.
Maintaining possession was a must for the Carroll players, who passed, cut, ran behind and in front of the cage and kept their patience with the ball without trying to force a shot.
“We just had to work the ball and play our offense,” Bleckley said. “It may have taken a while, but the result was the final goal.”
That goal went to Sexton, who was assisted by Bleckley.
“(Beers) had reminded us before we went out there that we had to have a positive attitude,” Sexton said. “We all had to do our jobs.
“After all that everyone else did, I was happy to be able to get the ball and get the shot. It really feels to me like we all scored that winning goal.”
Arden Jansen made nine saves in goal for Radnor and Anna Reger, Margot Lingo, Grace Gordon (six draw controls), Kate Gallagher, Lilly Wolfington, who scored in the second quarter, and Maeve Mucksavage led the Radnor defense.
Archbishop Carroll 11, Radnor 10
Radnor 3 1 5 1 0 – 10
Carroll 0 3 3 4 1 – 11
Radnor: Sarah Kelley 4G, Taylor Murphy 3G 1A, Marin Mooney 2G, Lilly Wolfington 1G, Grayson Buono 1A.
Arch. Carroll: Chloe Bleckley 3G 1A, Kate O’Neill 3G, Morgan Wood 1G 2A, Sienna Golden 1G 1A, Greta Potten 1G, Samantha Hewitt 1G, Claire Sexton 1G.
Goalies: Arden Jansen (Radnor) 9 saves; Mei Rader (AC) 7 saves.