By Harry Chaykun
TopLaxRecruits.com, Posted 3/26/13
GLEN MILLS, Pa. – Ashley Pyle was in need of redemption.
The Garnet Valley (PA) senior took the ball in the Good Counsel (MD) zone after Dana Davis earned the draw control early in overtime in Monday afternoon’s nonleague game at Morris “Moe” DeFrank Stadium.
“Then I turned it over,” Pyle said. “But my defense bailed me out.”
The GV defenders helped force a Falcons turnover, and Pyle got the chance to go to goal. She was fouled and converted the 8-meter shot, giving the two-time defending PIAA champion Jaguars (2-0) an 8-7 victory.
“If it wasn’t me, I really felt one of my teammates would have scored,” Pyle, one of the few remaining attack players from GV’s two state title teams, said. “Coley (Ricci, the team’s defensive leader) really pumped us up at halftime, and (first-year head coach Jenny Purvis) helped us realize what we needed to do.”
Purvis took over the Garnet Valley program this year after Kate Henwood, the former Jags player who guided her alma mater to its two consecutive state titles, left for California, where she became head coach at UC-Davis.
“We really love having her as our coach,” Pyle said. “We’re doing some of the things we did the last few years, but she also has had some new ideas.”
Purvis, who recently celebrated her 24th birthday, said that a few more games like Tuesday’s would have her feeling more like a 44-year-old.
“We have a young team,” Purvis, whose roster lists only three seniors, said. “They’ve been very flexible. We knew we might be (stronger) defensively, so we moved some people who were more defensive-oriented up to midfield, like Julia McGrath. And it’s worked out well.”
Good Counsel was ranked 14th in the nation in the Nike/US Lacrosse poll released today.
“Our schedule’s tough,” said Purvis. “We start out league games next week, and right away we play Strath Haven and Radnor back to back. Playing Unionville (PA) and then Good Counsel helped us see where we’re at and what we’ll have to work on.”
Junior goalie Paige Mitros stopped 12 shots and Dana Davis scored three goals for Garnet Valley. Junior Haley Giraldi led Good Counsel (2-1) with three goals.
Davis put the Jags ahead with 4:15 to play in the secone half, breaking the fourth tie of the contest. Ricci then earned the draw control and Pyle kept the ball in the home team’s possession with a key groundball pick before a GV turnover with 20 seconds left allowed Good Counsel coach Michael Haight to set his strategy for the last shot of the half.
That shot came from junior Camaryn Kerns less than four seconds before the whistle, pulling the Falcons even at 7-7.
Garnet Valley worked almost two minutes off the clock in overtime before Good Counsel came up with the ball. There were 43 seconds left in the first of the three-minute, sudden victory extra sessions when a Good Counsel pass sailed out of bounds. Less than 30 seconds later, the Garnet Valley players were celebrating.
“We’re still getting used to the new combinations we have and some of our coach’s new ideas,” junior Haley Warden (two goals, one assist) said. “We know how tough our league schedule is going to be, but we’re looking forward to it. It’s good to get the season started by winning these two games we’ve had.”
Garnet Valley 8, Good Counsel 7
Good Counsel 3 4 0 – 7
Garnet Valley 4 3 1 – 8
Good Counsel: Haley Giraldi 3G, Madison Hoover 1G, Paige Graham 1G, Nicole Ortlieb 1G, Camaryn Kerns1G, Shea Cassidy 1A, Lexi Rieu 1A.
Garnet Valley: Dana Davis 3G, Haley Warden 2G 1A, Erica Coyne 1G, Emily Mathewson 1G, Ashley Pyle 1G.
Saves – Harriton: Meagh Graham 6. Garnet Valley: Paige Mitros 12.