Harriton Rolls Over Phoenixville in Girls' Lacrosse Playoff Opener

Riding the momentum of a six-game win streak, Harriton's girls' lacrosse team had everything going its way as the Rams took the turf in Monday’s PIAA District One playoff battle with Phoenixville.

What head coach George Dick and his Central League co-champion squad did not anticipate was a Phantoms team that was not in awe of the Rams' gaudy 16-2 record heading into the tilt. Phoenixville (11-8) made Harriton work for the 22-6 victory that advanced the team to a home date at 4 p.m. Thursday against Haverford.

In the early going, Phoenixville kept the Rams at bay, tying the score at one with 22:54 left in the first half, prompting Dick to immediately change up defensive schemes, adjusting to the Phantoms' pressure in the Harriton defensive zone.    

“They came out and actually played us tight for the opening minutes,” said sophomore Caleigh Foust (5 goals, 2 assists). “We switched defenses to one where we double up on anyone that has the ball up top. That helps us put more pressure on the ball and force them into moving it before they are ready, getting them to throw it away.”

Led by back-to-back goals by senior , who found the twine six times on the day, the Rams crept out to a 4-1 lead with just over 18 minutes left before the break.

Following two tallies by Phoenixville junior Marlee Farbstein, which cut the lead to 5-3 with 13:01 left in the first half, Dick called a timeout to break the upstart visitors' rhythm.

“I think we came in and knowing that they were 11-7 or something like that, and our girls thought we could just take the field and win the game,” added Dick. “We just talked at the timeout about focus and playing our game, and I think our girls realized they had to kick it up. I was very proud of the way they responded.”

"Responded" is an understatement.

Following the timeout, Harriton went on a rampage, outscoring Phoenixville by a 17- 3 margin over the final 38 minutes of playing time.

Utilizing their team speed, which has been a strength all season, the Rams' possession game was too much for the Phantoms' defense to adapt to, as Sukonik scored five goals to complement four first-half goals by Foust as well as single tallies from Ally McLaughlin, Laura Walzer, Jessica Schwab to carry a 13-5 lead into the intermission.

“Wow, they are really fast,” said Phantoms goaltender Karen Hayde, who has committed to play at Old Dominion. “We weren’t staying tight on their cutters; their speed really is what pushed them past us. These girls were so skilled, they realized that I was weaker low-right and started shooting there and I was done. They were just a lot faster than we are.”

“We needed to run,” said Sukonik. “We got off to a slow start but once we started running, we were able to get great looks at the net. Their goalie was very good but we were able to use our quickness to beat their defense and middies.”

“Their goaltender played great,” said Dick. “You don’t get many stoppages in lacrosse to discuss strategy, but our girls realized she was a lefty, which you don’t see often and they helped each other adjust to her and we got it going offensively.” 

In the second half, the Rams controlled the play, using their transition game to cycle the ball around the Phantoms' net, setting plays to have open shots from the lane, which led to a 9-1 thumping in the second half, advancing Harriton to the second round on Thursday as they host an all-too-familiar foe in Haverford, which squeaked out a 14-13 win over Henderson. 

“We didn’t really take this as serious as we should have,” said Foust. “We had a lull to start today, but we know we have to be serious from the start in the next round of the playoffs.”

As the game wore on, the Rams (9-2 league, 17-2 overall and ranked ninth in the state) were paced by junior Maddi Pisani, who scored once in the first half and posted three more goals in the second half, as well two goals by senior Laura Walzer.

Senior Jackie Marshall was solid in net, recording six saves to complement an outstanding defensive effort by seniors Morgan McKenzie, and Megan Rubenstein along with freshman Hillary Lemonica, junior Ally McLaughlin and sophomore Alison Tepper to limit the Phantoms' scoring chances and close out the game.

“Beating a team 22-6 will help our confidence as we move on,” said Sukonik. “We need to play our game, though, and get off to a much better start. We are very familiar with Haverford, we heard they just won, so we should know what to prepare for when we play them.”

“I would rather it be someone other than a Central League opponent,” said Dick. “But at this level the seedings are what they are. We obviously know them well as we just played them, which helps us get ready, but they know us as well, it should be a good game.”

“Lacrosse is a game of speed,” added Dick. “If we stick to our game plan and play like we are capable of, our speed always gives us a chance to win, If you play in the Central League you can either step up your program or get left behind. I am very proud of how far our girls have come and we are going to keep working to improve our game.” 

5:06, first

23:28, second

22:53, second

16:41, second

5:26, second