Rams' Run Ends At Eight

The signs were subtle. The energy, that relentless, high-octane pressure game the girls’ lacrosse team likes to play, the traps, the double-teaming, began to have a slowly draining effect under the hot sun Thursday afternoon at Conestoga High School.

The Rams, so strong the first month of the season, started to wilt. What began strong and emphatic turned later into urgency, and Harriton could not summon that added drop of gas, falling for the first time today, losing 11-9 to Conestoga.

The defeat dropped the Rams to 8-1 overall, while Conestoga remained perfect at 6-0. It does have to be noted that the Rams were playing without two key players, senior Ally McLaughlin, who was away at a science competition, and sophomore Caleigh Foust, the Rams’ faceoff player who missed the game for a minor surgical procedure.

Still, Harriton started incredibly well, getting out to a 4-0 lead, before the Pioneers turned the sway of the game in their favor, scoring seven of the next eight goals to lead 7-5 and never trailed again. The Rams received three goals each from Carli Sukonik, the Lehigh-bound senior who’s been almost unstoppable this year, and Jess Schwab, two goals from freshman Katie Melvin and a goal from Laura Walzer.

“After we took a 4-0 lead and they took a timeout, I think we got a little tired there and they came after us,” said the Rams’ senior midfielder Megan Rubenstein, who played an exceptional game and is headed to Franklin and Marshall for soccer. “We know we can’t go undefeated this season, and we know we can’t let up and lose energy during a game. Missing Caleigh and Ally definitely hurt us--they’re two great players, but that’s no excuse. Conestoga played well. They deserved to win.”

After being in the 4-0 hole, Conestoga’s game plan was simple. Gain control of the ball and whittle away at the Harriton lead. In the later stages of the game, the Pioneers sat on the ball and worked it well, causing Harriton to chase even more and expend more energy.

“Harriton is a really good team, and we respected them coming into this game--I thought they and Radnor were the two teams to beat in the Central League,” Conestoga coach Amy Orchutt said. “That’s why this was a really big win for us. When we were down 4-0, we kept our composure and fought back. But you tell they were getting a little tired there.”

The Rams took some valuable lessons with them in their first setback.

“We played hard, but there are clearly places we can improve,” Sukonik said. “As a team, we have to move the ball more quickly, we need to swing the ball better and find opportunities. This is the first time we were down in a game this year, so we know what it’s like. We did fight back.”

That’s a good sign that could resonate later this spring.