.png?v=1715254951){kind=logo}
CONCORD — If you’re going to allow the Conestoga girls lacrosse team to control something like 14 of 17 draws, generally speaking, it’s going to be a long day at the office.
But the fact that Garnet Valley was on the wrong side of that figure yet still led the Pioneers past the midpoint of the second half in their Central League tilt Tuesday is an indication of how cohesive and aggressive its defense can be.
All that defending eventually took a toll, Piper Kienzle’s goal with 8:31 to play finally putting the reigning PIAA Class 3A champions up for good in a 9-7 win at Moe DeFrank Stadium. But the long stretches over which the Jaguars successfully stymied Stoga speak to a significant building block this season.
“I think it’s a little challenging, but we practice enough,” GV midfielder Mia Zebley said. “We all believe in each other defensively. We have the stamina and know we can sub out people if we need to. So I think just staying together through the hard times really works for us.”
It was just too much defending, ultimately. It’s hard to allow Conestoga’s stable of midfield dynamos to monopolize the ball and expect they won’t make you pay. With Kate Galica corralling eight draws and Chloe Brown and Kiki Liebezeit grabbing three each, the Pioneers (9-1, 5-0 Central) had the chance to control the pace of the game.
Instead, seven different Jaguars caused turnovers, led by Sammy Wood’s four and Jenny Green’s three. Coupled with the Jaguars (6-4-1, 3-2) effectively face-guarding Galica and Liebezeit, they managed to frustrate Conestoga in a way few teams have over the last couple of years.
“It’s a different defense to play against, to get used to,” Galica said. “… It’s big to stretch the field on a D like that, because when they’re in a five-person zone, you have to spread out. That’s different between other defenses, that the more you spread out on this one, the more you’ll beat it.”
Galica, the all-everything Virginia commit, still got hers, with a hat trick and an assist. Her ability to corral a feed from freshman Carolyn Jones and finish in traffic with 11:14 left to play tied the game.
Galica’s primary source of offense in the first half was transition, often straight from the draw. But from the time she fed Jones on a clinical fastbreak to tie the game at 4 with 5:54 left in the first half, Garnet Valley adjusted to mute that threat.
“I think just talking and making sure we slow the ball so they don’t get an easy layup,” said Green, one of the most effective Jags at clogging midfield. “I think the first couple of runs when they did try that, we realized we needed to slow the ball down and learn from our mistakes of what we can do better.”
Liebezeit was limited to one goal, an insurance tally with 2:20 to play. Defender Ashley Burkett, tasked with shadowing Liebezeit, mostly got the better of her matchup. The feeding ability of Jones helped turn the tide, as did a goal and helper from Natalie Yarmark.
Click HERE to read the full article.
Conestoga’s Kate Galica, center, in action in the state championship game last season, scored three goals and had one assist to lift the Pioneers to a 9-7 victory over Garnet Valley Tuesday (Pete Bannan/MediaNews Group).
Processing your request, Please wait....
