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Sports

Harriton's Lacrosse Ladies Beat Haverford to Earn First Trip to District Quarters

The Rams were led by five goals from Caleigh Foust.

There is an interesting correlation this season when Caleigh Foust plays for Harriton: The Rams don’t lose. The Harriton girls’ lacrosse team is a pristine 18-0 when Foust has played this season, and watching the pint-sized sophomore race up and down the field in her golden spikes, there isn’t a lot of head-scratching as to why.

Foust erupted for five second-half goals Thursday to break open what had been a close game with Haverford in the second round of the PIAA District 1 playoffs, giving the Rams a 13-8 victory to advance to the district quarterfinals for the first time in school history.

The Rams will play Central League rival Springfield, a 14-10 winner over Hatboro-Horsham, at 4 p.m. Saturday at West Chester East. Harriton improved to 18-2 overall, equaling another school record for victories in a season, tying the mark left by the 1990 Rams and Lacrosse Hall of Famer Cherie Grier.

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Foust led all scorers with five goals, followed by four goals from Carli Sukonik, three from Jessica Schwab and one goal from Laura Walzer. Haverford was led by junior standout Katrina Geiger and two goals each from Jill Root and Olivia Martin.

Harriton was hit with three first-half yellow cards and played almost the entire game a player down. Still, no one could keep up with Foust.

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“When we got the yellow cards, we had to get back into a flow again,” said Foust, also a standout field hockey player who missed the Rams’ two losses this year while recovering from tonsillectomy. “Once we picked things up, we were okay. We started to pick up each other.”

The game became a little tighter than Harriton would have liked early in the second half. The Fords’ Root squeezed by the Rams’ defense and scored, pulling Haverford to within 6-5 with 18:57 left to play.

Harriton coach George Dick saw enough to call a timeout. He explained to his team what was at stake here and that they needed to press a little harder.

“Coach D told us we needed to step up our game, that we could play better than this,” said Harriton midfielder Ally McLaughlin, who was exemplary along with Faust and Megan Rubenstein. “We knew Haverford was going to give us a good game, they did during the regular season. We needed to slow down on offense and work the clock, and we’re not a patient team. We adjusted. We had to shoot wisely.”

The Rams did. Sparked by Foust, Harriton went on a 7-1 tear to retain control of the game. Haverford did a nice job curtailing Harriton’s dangerous Sukonik during the second half. But that seemed to open the middle of the field for the speedy Foust, who scored four-straight goals during the Rams’ 7-1 run.

“We have a lot of very good players and very good athletes on this team, I can’t take anything away from anyone, but Caleigh is a difference-maker, she’s a different animal,” Dick said. “You can take someone away offensively from this team, and someone else is always going to step up.”

Haverford kept clawing back, especially Geiger, Root and Olivia Martin. But a few key saves by Rams’ goalie Jaclyn Marshall kept the Fords at a safe distance the remainder of the game.

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