Raiders roll with the punches
JACKSON TWP — Charlotte Purcell won't ever fully be adjusted to the schedule chaos the pandemic forced on the Seneca Valley girls lacrosse team.
The senior attack, who tied for a team-high two goals in the Raiders' 16-3 Senior Night win over Freeport Tuesday night at NexTier Stadium, just rolls with the punches.
Seneca Valley was supposed to play Section 2-AAA rivals Mars, but a schedule change moved the Yellowjackets into their place.
“I'm definitely not used to it,” Purcell said. “The changes aren't that dramatic. We adjust when those types of changes are being made.”
The Raiders (5-5) adjusted their offense to take advantage of gaps in Freeport's defense from the outset. Living in front of the net, Seneca Valley had sustained pressure in front of the 'Jackets net for most of the first half.
The Raiders broke through 2 minutes, 19 seconds into the game when Payton Riddle flicked a shot past the Freeport goaltender.
Yellowjackets coach Tahlon Kirkland said Freeport (0-12) was attempting to try and force Seneca Valley into as many bad spots on defense.
“First thing, just trying to force them away when they have the ball,” Kirkland said. “Force them away in double teams and stuff like that. When we get the ball, pass it up the field.”
Seneca Valley just never let the Yellowjackets have the ball for long. The Raiders dominated possession in the first 10 minutes and only allowed one Freeport scoring chance, which bounced wide.
Meanwhile, the Raiders continued to stretch out their lead on goals from Sarah Cyphers and Riddle.
Cypers, Riddle and Purcell tied for the team-high in scoring.
“I feel like their defense was more spread out,” Purcell said. “It was easy to cut through the middle to get open easily. It was easy to get around the defense to make drives toward the net.”
Following a goal from Anna Johnson, Seneca Valley's seniors had a chance to shine. Seniors, Maddie Regal, Lauren Comack, Purcell and Meah Groves all scored to stretch the lead to 9-0.
“I think it was nice to see some seniors who were on defense who had a different perspective on the field work with the offensive players,” Purcell said.
The Yellowjackets were able to stop the onslaught late in the first half. Following a long run from Adalyn Bowers, she was able to release a shot that found the back of the net with 3:42 left in the half that cut the deficit to 10-1.
Bowers, who finished with a team-high three goals, would score again 90 seconds later. The Yellojwackerts' offensive outburst didn't sustain.
Seneca Valley scored the next four goals to half the momentum. The Raiders ended up with 13 different goals scorers.
It's something Seneca Valley coach Katie Smolter would like to see continue in the Raiders match against Moon Wednesday, which she believes will have playoff implications.
“A lot of ball movement and talking,” Smolter said. “Getting them to communicate and work the ball a lot was our biggest goal all season. I think we were getting there today and finding open spots and open teammates.”
