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CR North girls lacrosse on cusp of snapping playoff drought; West shows grit

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The Council Rock North girls lacrosse team hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2016.

The Indians are hoping to end that drought this season.

They took a big step toward that goal with last Wednesday’s 16-10 victory over visiting Central Bucks West in a Suburban One League National Conference game at CR North’s Walt Snyder Stadium.

CB West scored the first goal of the evening, but after that CR North put four consecutive goals in the net before West mustered another goal. The two traded goals, then the Indians cranked out four more, including three in the final 30 seconds of the half, to enter the intermission with a 10-3 lead.

In the second half the Bucks once again netted the first goal and then put in a second one to cut the lead to 10-5. The Indians fought back with three in a row, but West wasn’t finished, scoring twice to make it 13-7. CR North put another one in but West answered, to make it 14-8 with 9:48 remaining.

CR North scored twice more to pretty much put the game away, 16-8, with 7:45 to go, but West didn’t quit, tucking in two more goals including one with just 22 seconds on the clock.

“We’d heard mixed things about West coming into this game, so we just came into it with the mindset that we were going to play our game,” said CR North sophomore Liza McBride, who scored three goals and added an assist.

“We really needed this win because we want to get to the playoffs. If we do, it will be the first time in a couple of years that we achieve that. We needed to play like a team and we did that.

“It was definitely one of our best games in a while and it’s a real confidence booster for us. In this game, we really meshed well. It was great.”

For CR North, Julie Ondria ended the evening with three goals and two assists, Charlotte Ondria had two goals and three assists, Allie Carpentier chipped in a pair of goals, Morgan McCaffery scored a goal and added two assists and Shannon Liedl picked up an assist.

Sophomore Madeline Mela led all scorers with five goals and two assists for the Indians.

“I think we really communicated well and I think our passes were connecting more than usual,” said Mela, who also plays field hockey for CR North. “We were finishing a lot of our shots, more than we have the past few games.

“I think we definitely can work on the turnovers and the ground balls, but other than that, I think we did pretty well. I’ve seen so much progress in our team since the beginning of the year. Everyone has improved as individuals and we’re all working to improve as a team.

“I feel really good about the rest of the season and how we’re playing now.”

Rylee Roe-Lipsky made five saves in goal for CR North.

Ashley Lott led the Bucks with three goals, while Bella Schrandt and Kate Weyer each had two and Mason Keller netted a single tally. Weyer added two assists while Grace Naylor, Nina Mayro, Schrandt and Isabelle Carter chipped in one apiece.

Margot Haring made nine saves in the cage for CB West.

“We still are very young so we have to work through the chinks,” said West senior Emma Schrandt, who netted two goals in the game. “We’ve had a new coach every single year so we’re constantly adapting to new circumstances but I think we’ve done a really good job of adjusting.

“We’ve had a difficult schedule and one of the things we’ve really been working on is keeping our heads up so even when we’re behind, we’re working for every single ball. I think we’re doing very well with that.

“We have a lot of really good players who really stand out as individuals, but we really do play as a team. We have a really strong defensive end and our attacking units are coming together a lot more.”

She will continue her lacrosse career at Gannon University, where she plans to major in pre-med biology and is considering a dual major in nursing.

The Bucks showed their resolve.

“I’m proud that we didn’t quit,” West senior Hannah Maughan said. “Even when we were down, we were still working hard, still trying to score. We never let our heads drop. We know that every second counts and we showed that tonight. We scored the last goal with almost no time left.

“We’re very connected and it’s such a family. Even through our losses we stay together and positive. We keep each other up as much as we can.

“We’re a pretty young team and I foresee good things for them. A lot of the underclassmen are so strong. I think they have a really bright future.”

Maughan, who was also captain of CB West’s field hockey team, will continue in that sport at Kean University, where she plans to major in biomedicine.


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