Non-league
DOWNINGTOWN EAST 11, UPPER DUBLIN 10 (OT)
The Cougars won an overtime thriller over the visiting Cardinals in Saturday morning’s battle between a pair of teams vying for position in the District 1 3A rankings..
UD extended the game to overtime when Abby Rucker knotted the score 10-10 with 16 seconds remaining in regulation.
Coach Dee Cross didn’t have to look long and hard to figure out the difference in this one.
“It’s all about the draw,” the Cardinals’ coach said. “We could not get the ball. We lost the draw battle 22-3.
“That being said, we should have not been in the game at all, but the girls overcame an uncharacteristic sloppy first half to battle back when Abby Rucker tied the game.”
Early on, there was nothing to suggest this game would come down to the wire as the Cougars opened up a 5-1 lead after one quarter and took a 9-4 advantage into halftime.
“We held Downingtown East to one goal the whole second half and chipped away at the score one goal at a time,” Cross said. “I was proud of the team for not giving up. I just think we came out flat and a little tight and we could not get anything going offensively.
“The defense did a great job of causing turnovers in the second half, and Emma Shervin made some point-blank saves, including an 8-meter shot with one second on the clock to keep the game tied and send it into OT.”
The draw played a significant role in the outcome in overtime.
“Downingtown East controlled the draw and scored one minute into OT,” Cross said. ‘Ella McGuckin did a great job of getting the ball in play on the draw to increase our chances of possession. We will learn from this game, for sure. It can only make us better.”
By the numbers: Upper Dublin: Bridget DiMartile (5G 1A), Maeve Hogan (2G 2A), Abby Rucker (2G), Ava Shohen (1G 1A)
Up next: Upper Dublin is off until Monday, April 27, when the Cardinals will host Plymouth Whitemarsh.
Upper Dublin 1-3-1-5-0 10
Downingtown East 5-4-1-0-1 11
- Log in to post comments
