Canners battle back, fall to Trojans in YAIAA tourney | Sports

Suburban (12-5-1) moves into Wednesday’s semifinals where it faces unbeaten Susquehannock, while Biglerville (10-8-1) waits until next Wednesday’s District 3 Class 1A opener to return to the field.

The Canners appeared out of sorts through the majority of a scoreless first period that saw neither team seriously challenge the cage. A wake-up call came two minutes into the second quarter when Suburban’s Laken Kinard cracked a shot on goal, then followed it up and stuffed home the rebound for a 1-0 lead.

“We weren’t ourselves,” said Biglerville co-coach Katie Weigle. “It was an unfortunate way to start because then you’re constantly catching up.”

Biglerville found its footing thanks to a series of long clears that led to scoring opportunities and penalty corners. It was from one such corner that they drew even with the Trojans. Hannah Naylor received the insert and quickly moved the ball, with Claire Roberts sending it toward the cage. Scoring ace Ava Peterson flashed in the scrum and flicked home an equalizer with 3:03 left in the half.

The start of the second half saw Suburban establish control of the midfield thanks to deft passing and silky handling by Paula Sigley, Morgan Shealer and Kinard. The trio helped generate an early penalty corner that saw Canner keeper Gabrielle Rogerson make a nifty save, only to have Shealer poke in the rebound for a 2-1 lead.

“We had more energy after we scored and our play picked up,” said Canner co-coach Sara Peterson. “Other times we were playing on our heels and (Suburban) had some nice passing. The middle was open a little too much for us. We were trying to get the girls to pinch in because they had some nice inside-outside passing.”

Moments after Biglerville nearly scored on a penalty corner, Suburban doubled its lead on an odd-looking goal. Kinard hammered a drive from outside the top right of the circle, and as the ball reached the far corner of the cage it appeared to be deflected over a sprawling Rogerson and into the top shelf.

Finley Smith was credited with the score that put the Trojans up 3-1 with 8:32 remaining in the period.

Again, the Canners dug down and found another helping of resolve. Using booming blasts by Roberts to set up runs, Biglerville attacked the cage and was rewarded with a corner caused by Peterson’s hustle. Following an initial shot stopped by talented Trojan keeper Grace Bramble, who had 10 saves on the night, Courtney Smith flipped a shot over her pads and into the cage to make it 3-2 with two minutes remaining in the stanza.

“Claire is always a rock star,” said Sara Peterson. “She seems to have a Hoover vacuum back there with her stick, but she also has some nice pulls and some big hits to clear it out for us.

“We were most effective on our corners. We were getting some nice touches and they were working, so we were emphasizing getting more corners.”

Neither team was able to score following respective consecutive corners in the fourth, with Bramble stacking her pads like a pair of billboards and Rogerson making a sliding stop.

The Trojans began taking the ball to the corner where they were able to burn clock while possessing with some tic-tac stick play. Biglerville managed a couple of long drives but Suburban denied a sprinting Peterson on a final threat that sealed the victory.

“I think our girls have proven season they don’t give up,” said Weigle. “Even in (regular-season) games that haven’t been as competitive, they never give up. That’s what we saw tonight.”

The field for the District 3-1A tournament will not be set until Thursday’s games are completed, but Biglerville appears to be in solid position to make the cut. The Canners are currently in the 16th and final qualifying spot, which would pit them against Oley Valley (14-1-1) in the opening round. The Lynx posted 12 shutouts heading into Monday’s action.

Should Biglerville jump Bermudian Springs for the 15th seed, they would face Boiling Springs (15-0-0), which has outscored its opponents 113-1 this season.

A rugged non-conference schedule that included probable district qualifiers Bishop McDevitt (12-3-0), Northern (13-2-1), Red Land (10-7-1) and New Oxford (8-5-3) put the Canners in a position where they were climbing uphill for much of the season. While not ideal, their coaches believe it has prepared them for the rigors of the postseason.

“Did we want to go in as a 15 or 16? Nobody does,” said Weigle “But whether it’s 15 or 16, they’ve earned their spot. They’ve worked really hard for that spot because our schedule was not lovely. They’ve played hard teams and the harder they work the more it pays off.”

Biglerville 0 1 1 0 — 2

York Suburban 0 1 2 0 — 3

Goals: B-Ava Peterson, Courtney Smith; YS-Laken Kinard, Morgan Shealer, Finley Smith. Assists: B-Claire Roberts; YS-Kinard. Shots: B-12; YS-11. Corners: B-7; YS-7. Saves: B-Gabrielle Rogerson 9; YS-Grace Bramble 10