Girls Lacrosse: Garnet Valley fights its way back to title game

MECHANICSBURG — In their precise order, these were the emotions encountered and well-handled Tuesday by the Garnet Valley girls lacrosse team: Curiosity, shock, concern, resolve, relief, pride.

“I would be nervous no matter what in a state semifinal,’ Jaguars coach Jenny Purvis said. “But four goals down? That would do it.’

In advancing to the PIAA championship game, Garnet Valley needed to recover from that four-goal deficit with just more than 20 minutes to play to defeat Quaker Valley, 13-10, in a persistent drizzle at neutral-site Cumberland Valley High.

The Jaguars will meet Conestoga Saturday in Hershey, in what has become a standard: A championship-game match between District One teams. But if Quaker Valley, of Leetsdale, 18 miles from Pittsburgh, was some sort of mystery to the defending state-champion Jags, that novelty turned serious early.

By halftime, the Quakers had an 8-5 lead, and when Emily Kraus scored her second goal with 21:57 showing, the lead was four and the crisis was real.

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