Harriton Girls Lacrosse Team Beats Radnor For First Time—Ever

They knew immediately how to react, even if it was over something they never did before. The Harriton girls’ lacrosse squad rushed out to centerfield, and hugged each other in a mass frenzy, acting as if they won the Super Bowl, World Series and World Cup combined.

The Rams made school history on Tuesday by doing something no other Harriton girls’ lacrosse team ever did—they beat two-time defending state champion Radnor. And they did it in dramatic fashion, notching a 14-13 victory in sudden death overtime, in a key Central League game for both teams.

Sophomore Caleigh Foust provided the game-winning goal just 13 seconds into the first three-minute overtime period, finishing with a game-high five goals, followed by four from teammate Carli Sukonik and three from Laura Walzer. The Rams improved to 13-2 overall and stayed in the running for the Central League title, at 6-2.

Radnor, meanwhile, fell to 10-3 overall and 7-1 in the league, but were buoyed by four goals from Taryn Deck, and two goals each from Lindsay Grossman, Shannon Quinn and Kristen Norden.

Both goalies were exceptional, especially in the last minute of regulation, when Radnor’s Annie Woehling kept the game alive by snaring a laser from Sukonik. In the opposite net, Harriton's Jaclyn Marshall stonewalled Radnor on three attempts to keep it tied.

It was a game that lived up to its billing between two stellar state-wide programs. The game featured extreme momentum shifts. Harriton threw a stunning blow at Radnor at the outset, getting off to a 7-0 lead, only to see Radnor dig out of that hole to score nine of the next 10 goals. Radnor led 9-8 with 14:44 left in regulation.

Then Harriton came back to lead late, 13-12. Radnor answered to tie at 13-13. Finally, it was Foust, who had missed a handful of games with tonsilitis and is playing herself back into shape. Her bouncing shot in OT dribbled by the outstretched stick of Woehling, igniting a celebration that took some time in coming.

“My heart was racing there in the end,” said Marshall, who’s headed to Widener to play lacrosse. “But I believed we could do this. Even after they came back, I still believed we could win. I think it was so emotional for the seniors because we never beat them before—ever. We knew that.”

It’s why some of the Harriton seniors, who won their 50th game in four years, shed tears afterward.

“There were a lot of tears in the past over close games we should have won,” said Sukonik, who’s headed to Lehigh for lacrosse and who has experienced more than her share of lopsided losses to Radnor through the years. “This year, we’re crying over big games we win. The seniors know what it was like when we lost big to teams like Radnor. It’s why this game was so big for us. It was about endless effort, and it showed what we can do when we play fully to our ability.”

A huge difference came on the draws. Harriton won the battle of ball control by taking 18 of the 27 draws in the game. And it was Foust who started the final play of the game as well as ending it.

The speedy little sophomore scooped up the sudden death draw, blew by four Radnor defenders and fired home the winning goal.

“I always wanted to beat Radnor, but not just for myself, for the seniors,” Foust said. “We’ve had games like this all year when we got up big, and then let down. This time we pushed through.”

And made history.