Despite defeat, Chartiers Valley carves name in lacrosse
Chartiers Valley’s Margo Mason (No. 22) scored two goals and had two assists during the PIAA quarterfinals. The Colts dropped a 13-8 decision to Mt. Lebanon to end their season.
Mt. Lebanon players attemp to stop Mackenzie Quinn but the Chartiers Valley senior is fouled on the play. Quinn scored on the restart but the Colts dropped a 13-8 decision to the Lebo ladies during the quarterfinals of the PIAA tournament.
After a season-ending loss in the quarterfinals of the PIAA girls’ lacrosse tournament, Maria Stamerra had the privilege of choosing the cheer for the final huddle break. Eighteen right hands were placed on top of Stamerra’s fist as she initiated the chanted, “We are CV.”
Nobody needed an explanation. Everybody already knew. CV stood for Chartiers Valley.
One year after moving up a level in competition, the Colts made a name for themselves. In Division I, the only team better than Chartiers Valley in the western half of the state is Mt. Lebanon.
“I’m so proud of these girls,” said Kim Eldridge, who took over the CV girls’ lacrosse program after nearly a decade coaching on the collegiate level at Duquesne University. “I’m pleased with how far they have come. March 7 to June 7 is a short period of time but the girls stepped up. Their heart and desire to win surpassed all expectations I had.”
With only six seniors on the roster, the Colts returned to the WPIAL final in 2016, one year after reaching the championship in a different division. The Colts also qualified for the state tournament for the first time in program history and won their first game, 8-5, versus State College. CV finished 13-4 overall with all four defeats coming against Mt. Lebanon.
By contrast, the Lebo ladies made their second appearance in three years in the semifinals of the state playoffs, thanks to their 12-8 triumph against CV on June 4 at Baldwin. The Blue Devils also beat the Colts, 14-9, on May 26 at Highmark Stadium for their fifth WPIAL title in school history.
“They are so technically sound,” Eldridge said of Lebo. “We did not win the possession battle and possession wins games.”
Experience and numbers also create victories. While CV lists 19 on its roster, Lebo dresses 47 varsity players. The Colts have no JV or middle school feeder programs, yet.
“We don’t have a deep bench,” conceded Eldridge. “We play a lot of underclassmen. For example, our goalie never played until freshman year. But, we gained a lot of experience so next year when these girls see this level of play, they’ll say, ‘hey, I got this.'”
The Colts, however, will not have Stamerra. The senior matriculates to the University of Cincinnati. CV’s leading scorer recorded a hat trick in the state quarterfinals against Lebo. She doubled that number, racking up six goals, in the WPIAL championship match.
“(Stamerra’s) a good player but she can’t outscore us, one against us,” said Lebo skipper Brian Kattan. “We tried to hold her down and play team defense against her. Smart defense,” he added.
The Colts also lose another key offensive weapon to graduation. Margo Mason registered a hat trick in the WPIAL final. The senior midfielder scored twice and dished up two assists against the Blue Devils in the PIAA quarterfinal.
In addition to Stamerra and Mason, the Colts also graduate defenders Lauren Ellis, Alivia Cangelier and Annie Pacella as well as attack Mackenzie Quinn, who scored against Lebo in the state quarterfinals. Juniors Kenzie Shaak and Abby Chidlow accounted for the other tallies. Shaak also picked up an assist.
Though the Colts lose a lot of firepower and strong defenders, they will rally around Grace Schneider. The sophomore started in goal for the Colts. Other returning defenders include juniors Erin Collins, Rachel Chidlow and Claudia Acevedo as well as sophomore Devyn Micheli.
Among the returning midfielders are: juniors Lauren Lohman and Emily Ramous as well as freshman Ashton Franks. The attack players to return and fortify the offense along with Shaak and Childow include: freshman Bailey Donfrio, sophomore Rachel Rohe and junior Courtney Chiurazzi.
“We taught so many concepts, many new, so we didn’t want to overload them,” explained Eldridge. “We evolved and we can build upon that experience for the future.”