WORCESTER — Methacton took advantage of a first-round bye in the District 1-3A field hockey playoffs to prepare for Wednesday night’s second-rounder against visiting Garnet Valley. And a little bit of rest, along with some focused practice, certainly helped the Warriors as they pressured the Jaguars all over the field while opening up a four-goal lead at halftime.
Methacton went on from there to a 5-1 win and a spot in Friday’s quarterfinal round at Downingtown West, a 2-0 winner over Haverford. The loss ended the season for Garnet Valley.
Lizzy Mun scored twice and Ceci Rehak, Nicole Walsh and Carmela Maro knocked in one goal each for the No. 5 seed Warriors (15-4-2). Leah Long scored for the No. 12 seed Jaguars (14-5-1) and junior goalkeeper Maggie Hilden made 31 saves.
Methacton had played a rugged Pioneer Athletic Conference regular season in the Liberty Division, where all six of the teams advanced to district play. Then the Warriors played two more games last week in the PAC playoffs, where they finished second. But they had nearly a week off from games after earning the opening-round bye.
“I think not playing on Monday definitely helped us,” said Methacton head coach Amanda Parrezzi. “The PAC is such a strong league. We had two days to really focus and prep for today.”
The Warriors took an early lead when Elena Weychert passed along the right end line out in front to Rehak, who knocked in a goal six minutes into the contest before Walsh scored on a breakaway to make it 2-0 with 10 minutes gone in the quarter.
Then Mun scored twice in the first 2:13 of the second, one on an assist by Maro and the other off a rebound, for the 4-0 halftime advantage.
“I think we were getting open and we were pressuring the ball,” said Mun. “And we framed the cage very well.”
“I think we were attacking with some tenacity tonight,” added Parrezzi. “We wanted to keep our eyes up and decide on the best shot to take.”
Meanwhile, the Methacton defense did not allow a penalty corner or a shot on goal until midway through the fourth quarter.
“I think we stayed very low in the circle and were very patient,” said senior forward Mun. “We didn’t feel as pressured.”
“We planned to pressure their outside players because they were strongest down the middle,” said Parrezzi.
Maro boosted the lead to 5-0 with three minutes left in the third quarter and Long got the Jaguars on the board off an assist by Addison Troy with three minutes left in the contest.
Hilden was amazing in goal throughout the night, turning away clusters of shots and making at least five saves in each quarter.
“Maggie’s been playing like that all season long,” said Garnet Valley coach Michaela DelSordo. “She’s a very agile player. This is only her second year on the varsity. And she’s stepped up as a leader this year, organizing the backfield.”
The Jaguars, who lost in the first round last season, opened up this year’s district play with a 4-1 win over Council Rock South.
“We had a great season,” said DelSordo, whose team placed fifth in the Central League with a 7-3-1 record. “We are in the second year of a rebuild. They play with a lot of heart and play multiple positions. With second efforts and gritty play, they made it to round two.”
Methacton had been unable to take advantage of its scoring opportunities until late in last week’s 2-0 PAC semifinal win over Phoenixville and 4-2 finals loss to Boyertown.
“Obviously, after last week, we knew that one of our problems was finishing,” said Parrezzi.
“I think we improved through the season and learned from past mistakes,” said Mun.
The winner of Friday’s 3 p.m. match at No. 4 seed Downingtown West will clinch a berth in the PIAA Class 3A Tournament. The loser will have two playback chances next week to earn one of the district’s seven state spots.
“I just look at it as one game at a time,” said Parrezzi. “If you look down the road too far, it makes it tougher to take the first step.”
