Best season in Pleasant Valley girls lacrosse history ends in District 11 title game
It was a historic season for Pleasant Valley's girls lacrosse team.
The Bears competed against top-seeded Emmaus in the District 11 Class 3A championship game Wednesday. Although PV dropped the title match, 11-6, the second-place districts finish is the program's best season in its six years.
Both teams came out strong, swapping goals early to reach a 3-3 tie 12 1/2 minutes in. The next 12 minutes before halftime, though, Emmaus completely took over.
The Hornets scored five unanswered goals to take an 8-3 lead into halftime and looked to be in complete control. Pleasant Valley quickly scored three goals to start the second half, but again went scoreless in the half's final 12 minutes as Emmaus largely controlled possession and drained the clock.
Photos:Girls lacrosse: Pleasant Valley downs Delaware Valley in district quarterfinals
Leading all scorers was Emmaus senior Julia Cote with seven goals. Pleasant Valley freshman Devon Bush led the Bears with three goals, with Brielle McInaw scoring twice and Alexandra Bush also netting a goal.
PV's Amanda Hayes and Emmaus' Alani Shotwell each recorded four saves.
What it means
Though PV lost, the Bears have plenty to celebrate.
The program won its first Eastern Pennsylvania Conference league championship — with an 11-9 victory over Emmaus. Even with the district title game loss, Pleasant Valley takes the season series against Emmaus 2-1, as the Bears were also victorious in the teams' April 11 showdown.
Defeating any team three times is famously difficult, but beating Emmaus even once this season was tough enough. Pleasant Valley is the only District 11 team to beat Emmaus, now 18-3, this season. The Hornets' third loss came against District 3's Governor Mifflin.
PV's league championship is its first in lacrosse and a remarkable feat for a program that's existed for only six years. Head coach Toni Bush said that even coming into the district championship she wanted her team to be proud no matter the outcome.
The districts loss draws to a close the varsity lacrosse careers for Pleasant Valley's seniors, who had formed significant roles.
Alexandra Bush finishes her varsity career with 245 goals, 108 assists, 104 caused turnovers and 524 draw controls. Also a team leader, McInaw closes out her career with 212 goals, 70 assists and 159 draw controls. Hayes finished her senior season with 193 career saves.
In college, Bush and McInaw will become NCAA Division I lacrosse rivals, with Bush committed to play for Saint Francis University and McInaw for Fairleigh Dickinson University. The two schools compete in the Northeast Conference.
Although departing seniors will leave large holes to be filled, Pleasant Valley already has experienced players ready for the challenge. Many young players emerged as key contributors and have built a team chemistry that coach Toni Bush said is the foundation of PV's success.
Devon Bush, the freshman who led PV scorers Wednesday against Emmaus, stands out as the team's likely offensive leader in 2023. Fellow freshmen Olivia Iandoli, Briana Palmieri and Abygail Borger will also return to the team next spring with significant experience under their belts.
Juniors Madison Fava and Keylee Dugey and sophomores Riley Green and Emily Butler are also set to return.
Key plays
After a sluggish close to the first half, Pleasant Valley forced itself back into the game with two goals from McInaw and Devon Bush's third goal. The Bears quickly cut a five-goal halftime deficit to just two.
The shot to ice the game was Emily Hollinger's second goal for Emmaus, which came with 8:44 left on the clock and put Emmaus up 10-6. Hollinger's score off a free position dissolved the momentum PV built with its scoring burst early in the second half.
With a 10-6 lead and the clock expiring, Cote ripped a shot past Hayes to inflate the final score to 11-6.
What's next?
Emmaus advances to the first round of the PIAA tournament, where it will play the loser of District 1's third-place game between No. 4 Radnor and No. 7 Garnet Valley. For Pleasant Valley, this lacrosse season has come to an end.
This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: District 11 girls lacrosse: Pleasant Valley falls to Emmaus in finals
