Pine-Richland girls lacrosse carries momentum into playoffs

By: Jerin Steele
Saturday, May 11, 2024 | 11:01 AM

Pine-Richland girls lacrosse coach Shannen Drennon said her team is firing on all cylinders.

She admitted it’s a phrase that’s cliche, but it’s also the truth.

The Rams hadn’t lost since March heading into one final regular season test against Mt. Lebanon on May 9.

They won the Section 2-3A title and are ready to defend their WPIAL Class 3A championship.

“The girls are excited,” Drennon said. “They know the challenge and what comes with it. Every girl has stepped up in their own way this season, which is awesome to see with us having such a young team.”

The Rams dropped a 10-8 decision to Peters Township on March 25, but have rolled since. The only game they didn’t win was a 13-13 tie against defending WPIAL 2A champ Mars.

Statistically, the Rams are the best offensive and defensive team in WPIAL Class 3A.

They scored 258 goals through their first 16 games, which was 34 more than Fox Chapel, which was in second place. They yielded 83 goals, which was seven fewer than second-place Mt. Lebanon.

The Rams scored 10 or more goals in 15 of 16 games and 15 or more in 14 games.

Madeline Mill and Cate Gentile lead the team in goals, but the Rams have been getting contributions from multiple sources. Freshmen Mallory Boivin and Claire Mill, Madeline’s younger sister, have stepped onto the varsity team right away and made an impact.

“What’s really nice about our team is that we have so many threats offensively that it’s hard for opponents to hone in on one player,” Drennon said. “That’s kind of been our M.O. the last two years. If you shut down one player, we have six others that are more than capable.”

Cate Gentile, the Mill sisters and Kendyll Jerry have rotated in the draw circle and each has yielded positive results. The Rams have been an above average team on faceoffs, which has helped them control possession.

That’s part of what’s helped them limit other team’s scoring chances. When teams do get a chance to put one on net, Rams keeper Claire Dosch has been there to make a save.

“It’s definitely a multi-factorial approach,” Drennon said. “We’re successful on the draw, which is a huge part of the game, but I have to commend our goalie Claire (Dosch). She’s a phenomenal goalie and she really studies the game. We’re very fortunate that there are two former goalies on our coaching staff and the extra level they help with our goalies is tremendous. Defensively, we struggled a bit to start the season, but once we figured out what worked, it’s been awesome. To not have many goals scored against us is not just one player or one position. It’s everyone.”

The Rams were expecting to receive a bye into the quarterfinals, so they’d have a few extra days before playing their first playoff game.

Once they get in the postseason, Drennon is confident her team will be ready, but she also is aware that it won’t be an easy path to a repeat.

“I always say playoffs (in lacrosse) are like playoff hockey or basketball where anyone can win on any given day,” Drennon said. “When you get to this point, you take it day by day. There’s plenty of good teams that could take it.”

Jerin Steele is a freelance writer

Tags: Pine-Richland