Pennsbury Girls Lacrosse Game Summaries 2021.            
     

April 7, 2021 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 14, PENNSBURY 11
Senior captains Bridget Curtis and Janessa Watson turned in standout efforts to lead the Titans to a hard fought win in their conference opener. Curtis contributed four assists, five draw controls and four caused turnovers while Watson had four goals, three assist and six draw controls.  Junior Tegan Mullan also had a big day, finishing with a game high five goals and one assist. Junior Kate Victor had three goals and two assists, and junior Maddy Flynn rounded out the scoring with a single goal. Sophomore midfield defender Grace Gannon was credited with four draw controls and two interceptions. Junior defenders Anna Shirley and Emalee Day both had three caused turnovers. Junior defender Brynn Reilly had two caused turnovers. “It was a total team effort,” South coach Janique Craig said. “Everyone played great and did their jobs on the field.” For the Falcons, Darrien Furiness led the way with four goals. Sarah Walcott, Maggie Golder and Maddy Spratt each had two goals while Jaclyn Gorgo had one.  Sophomore goalkeeper Gabby Mayo was credited with eight saves in a winning effort for the Titans.

April 9, 2021  Pennsbury 16  Springfield Township 4

Looking to avoid a repeat of Wednesday's tightly contested loss to Central BucksSouth, the Falcons came out with the right energy on Friday. "Today was a full team effort,” Pennsbury coach ShannonMacPherson said. “We came off atough loss from Wednesday and the girls had a fire in them to get the win today. Our attack worked together to get the job done with beautiful assists and shots on goal." Pennsbury put the pressure on early and despite some stout resistance from the Spartans, put away 10 goals in the first half. Darrien Furiness paced the Falcons with four goals while Lexie Snyder and Maggie Golder each scored a hat trick. "Springfield had a very talented goalie and she did a nice job," MacPherson said. "Midfielders Maggie Golder, Maddy Spratt and Darrien Furiness did a great job on draw controls which really set us up for the win." Sarah Walcott and Olivia Walcott each scored two goals and Maddy Spratt added a pair of goals. In goal, Ella Galdati turned away eight of 12 shots she faced. "Defensively we worked as a unit and caused turnovers," MacPherson said. "Our goalie Ella Galati came up huge today on saves, she had a great game. It was exciting to see the girls play a solid game together today."

April 12, 2021   PENNSBURY 17, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 4

Maggie Golder, Darrien Furiness and Maddy Spratt stuffed the stat sheet in Monday’s win. The trio combined for 11 goals and six assists, but that was just the beginning. They also combined for 13 draw controls, giving the Falcons the all-important advantage in possessions, and they capitalized.  “If you don’t come up with the draw, you can’t score goals,” Golder said. “That’s definitely a strength on our team.  “Me Darrien and Maddy work so well together. We just know how each other plays. I can make a nod, and Darrien will know exactly where it’s going to go. We control what we can control, and we ended up on top.”  Golder’s dazzling stat line included five goals, two assists, four draw controls, seven ground balls and five turnovers. Furiness added four goals, two assists, six draw controls and five ground balls while Spratt added two goals, three assists, three draw controls, five ground balls and three caused turnovers.  They had plenty of help. Sarah Walcott added a hat trick and one assist while Lexie Snyder had two goals and an assist. Jaclyn Gorgo chipped in with one goal.  It all added up to a big win for the Falcons, who led wire to wire. Furiness put the Falcons on the board with a goal in the opening minute, and that was followed by goals from Golder and Sarah Walcott (Spratt assist), spotting the Falcons a 3-0 lead less than five minutes into the contest. They went on to open up a 6-0 lead before senior Abby Durr put the Patriots on the scoreboard midway through the half.  By halftime, the Falcons had extended their lead to 13-3 on their way to the big win.  Pennsbury coach Shannon MacPherson had plenty of praise to go around after this one.  “We had some great caused turnovers in the midfield,” the Falcons’ coach said.  “Defensively, Olivia Graebner, who’s a sophomore, didn’t have much of a season last year, and this year, she’s just come out on fire. She had a couple of good caused turnovers defensively.  “Ava Ricciardi on defense has been such a leader. She stepped up this year.”  Ricciardi had four ground balls and one caused turnover and Graebner had three ground balls.  Pennsbury goalie Ella Galati was credited with five saves.  Durr and Paige Keller both scored two goals for the Patriots.

PENNSBURY 9, Plymouth Whitemarsh 8

The visiting Falcons scored just one goal in the opening half and trailed by a 4-1 score at the intermission, but their offense came to life in the second half as they rallied for the come-from-behind win. “PW played a great game,” Pennsbury coach Shannon MacPherson said. “They had a lot of talent on their team. Their center did a great job, and they have a really nice goalie as well. “We came out a little bit flat in the first half, but at halftime, we talked to the girls and told them we needed to make some adjustments. They went out and they started picking things up in the second half.” Maddy Spratt’s three-goal effort led the Falcons. Her third, which came with 4:07 remaining in regulation, capped a 4-0 Falcon tear that turned a 6-5 PW lead into a 9-6 Falcon advantage. It also was the 100th goal of the American University bound senior. “I think there’s a lot of pressure on players knowing they’re close to scoring that 100th goal,” MacPherson said. “I think it’s definitely a relief for her scoring it. “She plays her game how she plays her game. She didn’t do anything differently. We ran our plays, she did what she was supposed to do on the play, and she scored off of it. It was awesome.” The Colonials scored a pair of goals in the final 3:28, pulling to within one with 1:26 remaining, but they would get no closer.

“PW played a great first half,” PW coach Ellen Reilly said. “(We) controlled the ball on offense and maintained possession, worked hard on defense. Our goalie, Clancy Lynch, had six saves, holding Pennsbury to one goal. “In the second half, Pennsbury put the ball in the net when it counted. PW turned the ball over, allowing Pennsbury to capitalize.”  “PW fought us to the very end,” MacPherson said. “I give them a lot of credit. They played a great game. “In the second half, we started winning the draw, we had some really nice turnovers in the midfield, and our girls did a nice job pressuring defensively.” In addition to Spratt, Maggie Golder and Sarah Walcott both had a pair of goals and one assist. Darrien Furiness also had a pair of goals. “Defensively, Olivia Pogyor, who’s a junior, has been doing a great job for us,” MacPherson said. “She’s just such a hardworking kid, her slides are always there, and she does a great job communicating defensively. She had a really nice game today. “My midfield – Darrien Furiness, Maggie Golder and Maddy Spratt – all did a nice job. Sarah Walcott had two goals today, and that definitely helped. Liv Graebner is a sophomore defender, and she’s a really hard worker, and she had a couple caused turnovers that helped us get the ball back as well.” For the Colonials, Fiona Gooneratne led the way with three goals while Raya Gauntlett and Max Leszczynski both had two goals. Brianna Austin had a goal and an assist.

Pennsbury 16, West Chester East 5

Darrien Furiness, Maddy Spratt and Maggie Golder were a triple threat for the Falcons in Saturday’s non-league game. Furiness was all but unstoppable on attack, scoring seven goals. She also had six draw controls, five ground balls and one caused turnover. Spratt and Golder each had three goals and two assists. Spratt had seven draw controls, seven ground balls and one caused turnover. Golder had three ground balls and two caused turnovers.  “Maggie Golder takes the draw really well for us,” Pennsbury coach Shannon MacPherson said. “And having Maddy and Darrien on the circle has been so beneficial for us. We have a lot of trust in those three, and they work so well with each other.” Adding one goal and one assist were Sarah Walcott and Olivia Walcott. Sophia Curtis added a goal and also had a team high three caused turnovers as well as one ground ball. “Sophia Curtis had a great game for us today,” MacPherson. “We had to make some adjustments on attack and she really stepped up - caused turnovers and did well on the re-defend. “The midfield did a nice job on the draw again today which is huge in our success. Overall today was a team effort and every player contributed and worked well with each other.”

PENNSBURY 13, PENNRIDGE 1
The visiting Falcons excelled in all facets of the game, opening up a 7-1 halftime lead and rolling to the big win. “Today’s win was a full team effort,” Pennsbury coach Shannon MacPherson said. “The girls are really meshing well and feeding off each other. They had a great energy today and that lasted throughout the game."  Darrien Furiness led a balanced attack with four goals. Maggie Golder had a hand in seven goals, connecting for a hat trick and assisting on four goals. Sarah Walcott also had three goals. Maddy Spratt added two goals and three assists and Olivia Walcott chipped in a single goal.  Once again, the Falcons controlled the draw. Golder had seven draw controls while Furiness and Spratt each had three. Golder also had a team high nine ground balls to go along with three caused turnovers. Furniess had five ground balls and two caused turnovers, and Spratt was credited with three ground balls and three caused turnovers. Sarah Walcott had a pair of ground balls and a caused turnover.  “Maggie Golder again did a great job taking the draw for us,” MacPherson said. “Maddy (Spratt) and Darrien (Furniess) continued to get draw controls.  “The attack worked together and set each other up to be successful. They make it fun to watch them play. The defense communicated and our crashes were on point today.”

PENNSBURY 12, NORTH PENN 11 

In a battle for the top spot in the conference standings, the Falcons knocked the Knights from the ranks of the undefeated, battling back from a 4-1 halftime deficit to eke out the win. Pennsbury and North Penn as well as Souderton and Central Bucks South have one loss in conference play, setting up a logjam at the top of the standings. “I was very proud of the girls today,” Pennsbury coach Shannon MacPherson said. “We started off flat in the first half and were down 4-1 at halftime. The girls made adjustments and came back strong in the second half.” That might well be an understatement. The Falcons – after managing just one goal in the first half – scored 11 in the second half, and once again Maggie Golder was a difference maker, finishing with 11 draw controls. She also had two goals and one assists to go along with a team high nine ground balls and seven caused turnovers. “Maggie Golder had an awesome game,” MacPherson said. “The kid was nonstop the entire game and never let up. Darrien (Furiness) also contributed with seven draw controls.” Furniness also had a hand in seven goals, connecting for four goals and assisting on three others. In addition, she had eight ground balls and two caused turnovers. Sarah Walcott added a hat trick, and Maddy Spratt had two goals and an assist to go along with two draw controls, four ground balls and one caused turnover. Sophia Curtis added a goal and an assist, and Olivia Walcott had an assist. “North Penn’s defense did a really nice job today, which caused us to make some adjustments at halftime,” MacPherson said. “Our girls followed and played their game from there. Their goalie made some great saves today.” On the other side of the field, North Penn coach Heather Mellow tipped her hat to the Falcons. “Pennsbury simply dominated the draw controls, and we had to rely on our defense to get the ball back,” the Knights’ coach said. “But our offense did a nice job capitalizing on almost every offensive opportunity. “Pennsbury is a very good team with a lot of talent. We were happy we kept the game competitive.” For the Knights, Emily Varilla and Alli Lindsay both had three goals with Lindsay also contributing an assist. Lily Szilagyi had two goals and one assist, and Jordan Baily also had a pair of goals. Kerry O’Donnell had one goal while Kayla Stressman chipped in with two assists. Sophomore goalie Kiera Holt had another strong outing, finishing with 12 saves. “Our defense played a good game today,” Mellow said. “Kiera led the way again, making some big saves, but we did a nice job pressuring ball and taking away opportunities for Pennsbury to set up play.”

April 26, 2021
Pennsbury 19, Council Rock North 5

Midfielders Maddy Spratt, Maggie Golder, and Darrien Furiness combined for a whopping 24 points as Pennsbury rolled to a 19-5 victory. “Maddy, Maggie, and Darrien continue to work hard in the midfield getting the draw control,” said Pennsbury coach Shannon MacPherson, whose team raced out of the gate to an 11-4 halftime lead. “We have a tough week ahead, but it was exciting to see the girls work well with each other today. “Defense was able to flush some issues out and had a great second half. This group of girls is so coachable  - it’s really great to work with them.” Spratt finished the day with four goals and six assists, while Golder (5G, 2A) and Furiness (4G, 3A) each added seven points.  Sarah Walcott led the Falcons’ attack with five goals and an assist, while Olivia Walcott added one goal and three assists. “Our attack connected nicely today and did a great job running the plays,” MacPherson said. “Sarah came up big for us today with five goals. She’s really stepped up this season and today was a great game for her.”  Pennsbury improves to 4-1 National, 7-1 overall. The Falcons will host Central Bucks South at 3:30 pm on Wednesday. 

April 28, 2021
Pennsbury 19, Central Bucks West 5

The Pennsbury midfield trio of Maddy Spratt, Maggie Golder, and Darrien Furiness once again sparked the Falcons in the decisive victory over the visiting Bucks. In addition to their offensive contributions—Furiness finished with five goals and four assists, Golder had four and three assists, and Spratt finished with two goals and three assists —the trio dominated draw controls (Furiness six, Golder five, Spratt two) and ground balls in the midfield (Furiness nine, Golder five, Spratt four) as the Falcons jumped out to a 9-3 halftime lead. “The girls played a complete game today, it was fun to watch,” Pennsbury coach Shannon MacPherson said. “The defense worked together and had great caused turnovers. Transition was smooth and attack ran their plays while being patient with the ball. It was a great team effort today.” In addition to the middies, Pennsbury received scoring from Sarah Walcott (5G), Olivia Walcott (1G, 2A), Lexie Snyder (1G), and Sophia Durtis (1G).  On the defensive end, Olivia Graebner recorded three ground balls and three caused turnovers.  With the win, Pennsbury improves to 5-1 in National Conference play, 8-1 overall, and are right back in action Thursday when the Falcons host New Hope-Solebury. West drops to 3-4, 3-6, and will visit Council Rock South at 5 pm Monday.

April 29, 2021
PENNSBURY 11, NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 6

It was another big win for the Falcons, their ninth in 10 games. They opened up a 5-2 lead at halftime and never looked back. “New Hope played a nice game – they have some really talented players on their team,” Pennsbury coach Shannon MacPherson said. “This was a good challenging game for us today.” Maggie Golden scored four goals and assisted on another to lead the Falcons’ attack, but that was just the beginning of her contributions in Thursday’s non-league win. She also led the team with 10 ground balls, five caused turnovers and four draw controls.  Maddy Spratt added three goals and four assists as well as two draw controls, two caused turnovers and two ground balls. Sarah Walcott contributed three goals and three assists to go along with two caused turnovers, and Darrien Furiness had a goal, two assists, three draw controls, three caused turnovers and three ground balls. “Our transition was awesome today,” MacPherson said. “They did a nice job on the re-defend, and our attackers just keep working their plays. They trust each other. “It’s just nice when you have a team where multiple players can go to goal. It’s not like we’re relying on just one or two players. I think that’s been pretty consistent with us throughout the season that we have a lot of trust in each other and a lot of girls that are a threat on attack. “Our defense played beautifully today. I think this is one of the better games I’ve seen our defense play this season. The crashes were there, the slides were there. They just really worked together as a unit. They meshed really well with each other. It was just a complete game for us.” Ella Galati was credited with six saves in goal in a winning effort for the Falcons. “She came up with some big saves today,” MacPherson said. “Olivia Graebner had an awesome day today. She did a great job defensively. “Ava Ricciardi is one of our leaders, and she really stepped up today. Liv Pogyor again had a good game. The Falcons’ coach also lauded the effort of a player whose contributions don’t show up on the stat sheet. “Sophia Curtis has had such a great season, and she is such a versatile player for us,” MacPherson said. “She played low D for the majority of the game, and then we made a couple of adjustments. “We needed somebody on attack, so we moved her down to attack. She’s just been our go-to player this year. She’s coachable, and she can play attack and D, so we’ve been flipping her back and forth, and without missing a beat, she just goes and does what she needs to do. We’re definitely really happy with Sophia and proud of her too.” For the Lions, Margaret Tresler had two goals while Kate Dougherty added a goal and an assist. Rachel Saxton and Madie Thistlewaite both had one goal. “It was a tough game for the Lions today,” NHS coach Betsy Dougherty said. “We started off slow and were never able to catch up.”

May 3, 2021
PENNSBURY 20, SOUDERTON 12

The Falcons opened up a 13-6 halftime lead over the visiting Indians and never looked back on their way to their 10th win in 11 games.  Four players – Lexie Snyder, Darrien Furiness, Maggie Golder and Maddy Spratt – scored four goals. Sarah Walcott added a hat trick while Olivia Walcott had one goal. Golder also had six assists, Spratt had five, Furiness had two assists and Snyder had one.  “The girls continue to work well with each other and played a great game,” Pennsbury coach Shannon MacPherson said. “They are fun to watch and have been working hard. Attack had some beautiful assists today and ran the plays well. Souderton gave us some competition on the draw today but we were able to adjust.”  Also for the Falcons, Furiness had seven draw controls to go along with nine ground balls and one caused turnover. Spratt also had seven draw controls and added three ground balls and one caused turnover. Golder had five draw controls, six ground balls and three caused turnovers. Snyder contributed four ground balls and one draw control while Ava Ricciardi added three ground balls.

May 6, 2021
Pennsbury 15, Bensalem 4

Ten different players scored goals as Pennsbury rolled to a 15-4 victory over Bensalem in Thursday’s National Conference matchup.  Maggie Golder (2 assists), Olivia Graebner, and Lily Abraham each scored twice for the Falcons, while Lexie Snyder, Olivia Walcott (1 assist), Sarah Walcott (1 assist), Jaclyn Gorgo (1 assist), Darrien Furiness, Maddy Spratt (3 assists), Riley Borgman, and Rachel Stein each added 1 goal. Olivia Pogyor dished out 1 assist.  Pennsbury controlled ground balls, with Furiness (4), Graebner (3), Golder (2), Snyder (2), Spratt (1), Olivia Walcott (1), and Sarah Walcott (1) all recording ground ball pickups.   Ella Galati earned the win in goal for the Falcons, who move into a tie atop the National Conference with Council Rock South (both teams 21 points, though South has played one fewer game). The Falcons stand at 7-1 in conference play, 11-1 overall

May 10, 2021
Pennsbury 16, Neshaminy 4

Maggie Golder filled a stat sheet in Monday’s win, leading the Falcons with six goals, three assists, five ground balls, four draw controls and two caused turnovers. Sarah Walcott added four goals, two draw controls, two caused turnovers and one ground ball. Darrien Furiness contributed two goals, one assist, two draw controls and two ground balls while Lexie Snyder had one goal and two assists, two ground balls and one turnover. Maddy Spratt had one goal and one assist to go along with three draw controls and three ground balls. Sophia Curtis and Riley Borgman each had one goal. Olivia Graebner added three ground balls, one caused turnover and one draw control, and Lily Abraham had two caused turnovers and one ground ball. Kahtryn Baik had two ground balls, and Caroline Nolan and Jaclyn Gorgo both had one. Pennsbury (12-1, 8-1 SOL) will host Council Rock South in a key conference game in the stadium on Wednesday at 6 p.m

May 12, 2021
Pennsbury 17, Council Rock South 14

The Falcons had a lot going on Wednesday night between Senior Night, a wild second half with 20 total goals and the not-so-small measure of a conference championship on the line. With the winner between the Falcons and visiting Golden Hawks securing no worse than a share of the SOL National title, there was a lot at stake and the game more than matched it. The victory was a cap on a steady progression by Pennsbury's program in recent years, going from 4-13 and 1-7 in the SOL in 2017 to a conference champ in 2021. “We came into the season with a vision to win the league, and tonight being Senior Night - I think it was the perfect night,” said Pennsbury coach Shannon MacPherson. “We might end up sharing that with North Penn, but I think that’s a great accomplishment from where we came the last couple of years. “Our seniors have really pulled through this year, and overall, it’s just been such a great team, so fun to coach." The Falcons scored first, fell behind 2-1 but rallied to regain the lead. Despite staying in front most of the way, Pennsbury couldn't seem to pull away from a determined Golden Hawks team. Making the accomplishment more impressive was the fact Pennsbury had to play without standout junior Darrien Furniess. The Ohio State recruit, also a standout soccer player, was sidelined with injury but is expected back for the postseason. Her teammates had her back on Wednesday. “Tonight’s win was a full-out effort of us just readjusting and the girls making changes,” MacPherson said. “We missed having Darrien, but the girls came through. They’re just an awesome group of kids this year. They’re so adaptable, and they do what they have to do to win. It’s such a breath of fresh air to coach a team that is so willing to adjust and do whatever they need to do.  “They just genuinely care about each other, and that’s one of the biggest parts of their success. They all just want to see each other succeed. Even though Darrien wasn’t on the field tonight, she was on the sidelines cheering her teammates on, and she wanted more than anything to be on the field with them tonight. She’s still there in full. That all carries over. They wanted to win for each other, they wanted to win for the seniors, they wanted to win for Darrien who couldn’t play tonight." Both teams came in with just one loss in SOL play, so it wasn't a surprise the contest was back-and-forth and saw plenty of offense. “It was such a crazy game today,” MacPherson said.  “I think both teams played a great game. Council Rock South has some really good players."It was a lot of  competition on the draw, and the draw today was key, so even towards the end of the game, we needed the draw, and we needed to possess the ball because it came down to the wire. Their goalie came up with some nice saves, and they gave us a good run tonight." Senior Lexie Snyder helped out filling in for Furniess, scoring and assisting a goal and putting her mark in the book with six draw controls and six ground balls.  Maddy Spratt and Maggie Golder were nonstop for the Falcons, contributing in nearly every category. Golder posted four goals and three assists and was a presence on draw controls, recording nine wins for her team while also scooping up seven ground balls. Spratt was a stat-stuffer as well with a hat trick, three assists, four draw controls and four ground balls while also causing a turnover defensively. “Lexie Snyder stepped up huge on the draws. Her draw controls definitely helped us today," MacPherson said.  “Maggie Golder definitely helped lead us in the midfield. Maddy Spratt sets her teammates up - she has great assists, she wins draw controls, and she just wants to help her teammates succeed. Maddy and Maggie truly shined with that today.” Sarah Walcott paced Pennsbury's high-scoring attack with six goals, scoring efficiently on eight shots on goal. Olivia Walcott added two goals. “Sarah Walcott is just so accurate, and she’s really stepped on attack for us," MacPherson said. "Sophia Curtis is such a great kid - today we had to bump her to midfield. She did a nice job, and she had an awesome goal. I’m super proud of her. “Ava Ricciardi stepped up on defense and had some key ground balls today and some caused turnovers." Ricciardi had three ground balls and one caused turnover while Olivia Graebner had one ground ball and two caused turnovers.  The Falcons (13-1, 9-1 SOL), who will host Methacton on Friday in a non-league game, will wait to see if they share the SOL National title as CR South (13-4, 7-2) visits North Penn on Thursday at 3:45 p.m. The Knights have one loss in the conference and would split the crown with a win.

May 14, 2021
PENNSBURY 15, METHACTON 10

The Falcons – who raced out of the gate to a 12-3 halftime lead over the visiting Warriors – featured a four-pronged offensive attack in Friday’s non-league win.  Sarah Walcott led the Falcons – who were still without Darrien Furiness - with five goals and one assist, and Maggie Golder added four goals and three assists. Lexie Snyder (three goals, one assist) and Maddy Spratt (three goals, four assists) also came up big. Olivia Walcott added two assists and also had four ground balls, two draw controls and one caused turnover. “The girls all really worked hard today,” coach Shannon MacPherson said. “It was a good game, and Methacton has some really talented players, including their goalie. Our defense played as a unit, which was huge in the win today.” Sophia Curtis added two ground balls while Ava Ricciardi and Olivia Pogyor each had one ground ball and one caused turnover. Pennsbury (14-1, 9-1 SOL) is eighth in the District One 3A power rankings heading into Saturday’s seeding meeting.

2nd Round PLAYOFF GAME
May 20, 2021

No. 9 Downingtown East 15, No. 8 Pennsbury 11

The Falcons got off to a fast start and still led by a 9-8 score at halftime, but they managed just two goals in the second half. It wasn’t enough. “We came out on fire,” Pennsbury coach Shannon MacPherson said. “Unfortunately, turnovers and fouls got us today. I’m so proud of all they accomplished this season though. It was a tough loss.” Maggie Golder and Sarah Walcott provided most of the Falcons’ firepower with four goals each. Golder also had one assist, three draw controls, three ground balls and two caused turnovers. Darrien Furiness added a goal and three assists, four draw controls and one ground ball. Maddy Spratt had a goal and four assists to go along with seven draw controls, four ground balls and one caused turnover. Sarah Walcott added a goal to round out the scoring.   Pennsbury closed out a successful season with the SOL National Conference title and a 14-2 record (9-1 SOL).