Mt. Lebanon beats Chartiers Valley again in lacrosse
Megan Gibbons keeps her eye on the goals as she makes her move against Maria Stamerra. Gibbons exploded for five goals as Mt. Lebanon defeated Chartiers Valley, 13-8, in the quarterfinals of the PIAA girls’ lacrosse tournament.
Lauren Lohman and Anna Albers battle for a ground ball during PIAA quarterfinal girls’ lacrosse playoff action.
In lacrosse, a two-goal deficit is no reason to panic, especially when the margin is mounted in the first eight minutes of a 50-minute contest. So, the Mt. Lebanon ladies did what they always do. They kept cool, rallied and won.
After erasing Chartiers Valley’s advantage, the Blue Devils reeled off eight unanswered goals, four at the end of the first half and four at the start of the second half, en route to a 13-8 victory in a PIAA quarterfinal playoff game on June 4 at Baldwin High School.
“I think we were a little nervous going into this game,” said Brian Kattan as the contest was the fourth meeting of the season between these section foes and neighboring communities. “But, I wasn’t concerned because we always seem to be calm under pressure. These girls don’t get too high or too low. It’s a calm team.”
With Anna Albers as the playmaker, Lebo chipped away at the Colts’ lead, constructed on a pair of goals by Maria Stamerra. Though CV tacked on another tally from Kenzie Shaak, Albers dished up two assists on goals by Megan Gibbons and another to her sister, Lexi, which tied the match, 3-3, with 10:03 to play in the first half.
After Albers dished up the hat trick for Gibbons, Margo Mason knotted the score at four. Then Lebo launched into offensive mode, reeling off eight straight tallies. In the final five minutes of the first half, Kate Sramac, Megan Gibbons and Sophia Klaber all scored off assists from Albers, who also managed a goal during the spree.
The Gibbons sisters, Klaber and Cora Broadhurst, widened the gap to 12-4 in the opening 5:29 of the second half. Klaber closed out the scoring for her hat trick with 6:20 to play. Megan Gibbons, who will play lacrosse at Lehigh, finished with five goals, while Lexi Gibbons chipped in two tallies. Albers, who will attend Colorado-Boulder, finished with seven assists.
“We had six players score,” Kattan said. “When you have that kind of balance they can’t key on one player, it really makes a difference. You can’t shut down one player because we have six or seven others who can score.”
Even the best teams, though, can succumb to the numbers. Three times prior the Lebo ladies had beaten Char Valley. They won the Section 1 title, edging the Colts, who finished as runners-up with a 10-2 slate. They also beat CV in the WPIAL final, 14-9, played May 26 at Highmark Stadium.
“The old sports adage is that it’s tough to beat a team three times,” Kattan said. “Forget about four. They know everything we’re going to do, and we know what they’re going to do. We knew they weren’t going to just give up. They are a talented and well-coached team. We had to play as hard as we could and hope that our shots would go in.”
That they did, means the Blue Devils are going to the state semifinals for the second time in three years. Lebo was scheduled to play District 1 Conestoga yesterday (after press deadline) June 7 at Cumberland Valley for the right to play in the championship set for noon June 11 at West Chester East High School.
“We’re looking forward to the semifinals,” Kattan said. “It’s the next step on the journey. Most of the seniors know what to expect. They have done a nice job all year. We’ve prepared for this all year. We just have to see how it goes.”
In addition to Albers and Gibbons, Lebo boasts seven other seniors: Laura Pryor, Katie Trombetta, Molly Collins, Maria Krakora, Erin Cowell, Kelly Haggerty and Renee Cline.
NOTES: The Lebo ladies defeated Exeter, 9-7, in the first round of the state playoffs. The Blue Devils were 19-2 heading into their contest against Conestoga, which beat Archbishop Carroll, 15-9, and Kennard Dale, 17-6, in its opening rounds of the PIAA tournament. The Pioneers were 23-1 heading into the semifinals.