Cumberland Valley fends off Red Land for 14-12 girls lacrosse win

FAIRVIEW TOWNSHIP – Four minutes remained in Thursday’s tightly-contested and much anticipated girls lacrosse showdown between Cumberland Valley and Red Land when the Patriots’ Olivia Glinski scored her fourth goal of the game to tie the contest for the seventh occasion, this time at 11-11.

Cumberland Valley head coach Emily Savini immediately called a timeout to address the situation with the Eagles. “We called the timeout and I just said there’s four minutes left and it’s whoever wants to win it more,” Savini said. “You’ve got to go 110 percent and they did that.”

Crucial draw wins by Anna Keitel led to late goals from Kirra Crowley, Meredith Seeber and KK Ball in a span of 2:02 and the Eagles held off a stubborn Red Land squad, 14-12, at Marsh Run Park.

“This game was very taxing and a battle back and forth,” Savini said. “So, it really took a lot for them to push through and they showed they really wanted it. Honestly, it comes down to playing 100 percent and I think there were moments where we weren’t meeting our potential. I think that made it a closer game than it should have.”

Cumberland Valley (17-3), the Mid-Penn Commonwealth Division winners, concludes its regular season next week against Central Dauphin before facing Keystone Division victor Hershey on Friday, May 13 in the Mid-Penn championship game at Landis Field. The Eagles currently stand third in the District 3, Class 3A power rankings.

Red Land (14-2) also concludes its season next week with a game against Central Dauphin and will await its District 3, Class 2A tournament first-round opponent. The Patriots are currently fourth in that classification.

First round District 3 game are scheduled for Monday, May 16 at the home of the higher seed.

THE STARS

Ball, a senior, scored four of her six goals in the second half, including the Eagles’ final tally with 1:25 to play that opened a 14-11 lead. Crowley added a hat trick and Seeber pitched in with a pair.

Zayda Crumpton and Glinski found the back of the net four times apiece for the Patriots.

GAME DECIDING MOMENTS

The back-and-forth contest was tied seven different times before the Eagles took the initiative in the final four minutes. Keitel controlled two key draws that directly led to goals by Crowley (with 3:23 remaining) and Seeber with 2:26 to play.

Defensively, the Eagles stuffed two consecutive Red Land offensive thrusts after the Crowley and Seeber goals. Ball’s fifth of the game with 1:25 to go, put the contest away.

THEY SAID IT

“We were kind of nervous. We knew Red Land was really good this year. Just being tied with four minutes left was nerve-wracking, but we really just wanted to win and that motivated us. We saw Red Land beat State College by a lot, and we knew they were really good. We were hearing about Zayda (Crumpton) and Kenna Duffie and we knew it was going to be a close game. We knew they were going to bring the heat and they did. We persevered. We really want to prove ourselves. In the past, we’ve fallen short a couple of times. We’ve got this big chip on our shoulders to prove that we’re a good team,” – Cumberland Valley senior KK Ball.

“Today, we were able to see where our strengths were and where we fell short. Luckily, we can utilize this film moving forward. We have a film we can utilize on Hershey as well. When we have Hempfield on a Saturday, Wilson on a Monday, Trinity on Tuesday and Red Land on Thursday, as much as I say these girls aren’t playing 110 percent, I think their tank is a little empty as well. I’d much rather play that competition and meet that expectation than I team that might fall short of that intensity,” — Cumberland Valley head coach Emily Savini.

“It’s not the outcome we wanted but definitely the game we expected. Our defense killed it. I will give a shoutout to them. Our offense was a little collapsed and not moving as much as they normally do. Their defense killed it as well, pressuring us as soon as we had the ball, so that made it tough for us. We’re not used to playing a caliber of team like them. They came out of that timeout with the momentum. They had two, three right in a row and that kills your defense and its mojo. I think we could’ve come back, but we didn’t have the gas in the tank. They were the better team today,” – Red Land head coach Jess Stetler.

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