JACKSON TWP — Trailing 7-3 midway through the first half and reeling, Seneca Valley girls lacrosse coach Dina Hughes called a timeout.

"We just went over the basics," Hughes said. "We discussed the problems we are having and I just told them they needed to believe in themselves."

The pep talk worked.

The Raiders responded, rattling off eight straight goals and never trailed again on the way to a 16-13 home win over Peters Township in the first round of the WPIAL Division I playoffs Thursday.

It took just eight minutes for that 7-3 deficit to turn into an 11-7 lead. Chalk that up to a potent Seneca Valley offense that has shown a penchant for scoring.

The offensive outburst was a pleasant surprise for Hughes, who expected a game dominated more by defense.

"Peters is a great team. They have a strong defense," Hughes said. "We were just able to take advantage of what they were doing."

Sam Struss was particularly adept at exploiting the Indians, scoring four of her five goals in the first half. She also had two assists.

Paige Corathers, battling a pesky knee injury that forced her off the field twice, tallied four goals in limited playing time.

Her spectacular goal, flung across her body while sprinting at full speed 15 yards away, gave the Raiders a 13-11 lead after Peters Township had threatened to rally with three consecutive goals.

"I can trust all of my attackers," Hughes said. "They all work together."

After a rough first half, Raiders goalie Lauren Moran responded in the second with several big saves.

Peters Township peppered the junior throughout the game. But Moran made eight stops, none more important than the four shots she stonewalled in the final 25 minutes.

"(Lauren) is one of the key leaders on defense," Hughes said. "It was great to see her excel."

Peters Township had won the WPIAL title three straight seasons.

While the Seneca Valley players stopped short of calling it the program's signature win, they are certainly cognizant of the fact it puts the Raiders on the map once and for all.

"It means a lot to us," Corathers said. "It will give us a lot of confidence heading into the next round."

"Peters is a big-name team," Struss added. "It's always nice to go out and beat a team like that."

Seneca Valley will face either Mount Lebanon or Oakland Catholic at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at North Hills.