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Harriton, Great Valley spring upsets in District 1 girls' lacrosse

Minutes before his Harriton team did battle with Radnor in a District 1 semifinal Tuesday, a hopeful George Dick hoped aloud for one more upset.

Conestoga's Sondra Dickey (11) chases the ball with Great Valley's Brooke Lionetti (41), left, Courtney Cortese (5) and Lucy Haubold (6) in the first period of District 1 girls high school lacrosse semifinals at Haverford High School in Havertown, Pa on Tuesday night, May 19, 2015. (LAURENCE KESTERSON / For The Inquirer)
Conestoga's Sondra Dickey (11) chases the ball with Great Valley's Brooke Lionetti (41), left, Courtney Cortese (5) and Lucy Haubold (6) in the first period of District 1 girls high school lacrosse semifinals at Haverford High School in Havertown, Pa on Tuesday night, May 19, 2015. (LAURENCE KESTERSON / For The Inquirer)Read more

Minutes before his Harriton team did battle with Radnor in a District 1 semifinal Tuesday, a hopeful George Dick hoped aloud for one more upset.

"I thought there would be one upset tonight, but I was hoping it would be us," he said. "We'll see."

Great Valley had already knocked off top-seeded Conestoga in the first game of a District 1 girls' lacrosse semifinal doubleheader at Haverford High.

Thanks to a five-goal effort from Jane Henderson, No. 3 Harriton completed a night of upsets with a 13-11 win over No. 2 Radnor.

"This is really big," said Henderson, a senior headed to Lehigh with her sister, Maura, next year. "We played Radnor earlier this season and we weren't really clicking yet. . . . We weren't sure how the season would go, so this really proves how hard we've really worked this season and how much we've grown."

Thanks to an early five-goal spurt, the Rams (19-3) never trailed.

Laura Lasprogata scored two quick goals and Maura Henderson capped the five-pack with 19 minutes, 44 seconds left in the half.

"That helped so much," said Henderson, face still colored crimson from exertion. "Especially me, because I got really tired. I was dying, but getting up 5-0 really helped because I knew when they got that first goal . . . I knew we still had a lead and we didn't have to worry."

Radnor was led by junior attacker Emily Games, whose fourth and final goal got Radnor within two goals with just 1:13 remaining.

Fortunately for Harrtion, Henderson and Co. used stingy stick work to salt away precious seconds.

"I think this is definitely an upset," Henderson said. "I think a lot of people doubted us, especially in the beginning of the season. I know from the beginning we wanted to prove people wrong. But we still have a lot of work. Great Valley is a great team so we'll have to work hard, but I think our intensity is what has gotten us this far."

Harriton and Great Valley will meet Thursday.

In defeat, the Pioneers were led by three goals apiece from Scottie Growney and Monica Borzillo.

Six goals from junior attacker Kristen Knaff, however, helped Great Valley overcome a three-goal first-half deficit. Ashlyn Smith also added three goals. The Patriots scored five straight goals in the second half during a 7-1 momentum-stealing run.

Knaff, a La Salle recruit, was so dominant she even conjured comic-book-hero images.

"She was driven and had her eyes on the prize all night," said head coach Kim Wenger. "After one of her goals it was like she turned green like the Hulk. She was running right through there and nobody could stop her."

Harriton 10 3 - 13

Radnor 5 6 - 11

H: Jane Henderson 5, Maura Henderson, Laura Lasprogata 2, Greta Stahl, Alex Ladda 2, Jordan Heller, Julia Marks.

R: Emily Games 4, Katie Quinn, Fallon Quinn 3, Reilly Masterson, Hannah Proctor 2.

Saves: H – Devin McClain 6; R – Maddie Lally 4.

Great Valley 5 7 - 12

Conestoga 7 4 - 11

GV: Kristen Knaff 6, Natalie Kahn 2, Linnea Hughes, Ashlyn Smith 3.

C: Scottie Growney 3, Liz Scott 2, Monica Borzillo 3, Sondra Dickey 2, Rilee Scott.