Butler bows to Fox Chapel in playoff opener
O’HARA TWP — It wasn’t so much the destination for Butler as it was the journey.
While the Golden Tornado’s girls lacrosse march finished with an 18-4 WPIAL Class 3A first-round playoff defeat at No. 4 Fox Chapel on Monday night, getting to that point was a reward in itself.
“This was our main goal for the season,” Butler coach Corey Hurley said. “We had a bunch of smaller goals, but this was our main goal — was to make the playoffs. They’ve been trying to do it for years. This was the first time we’ve made it since we moved up to 3A.
“We were dead in the water multiple times this year and we never quit. We kept battling back and they made it in. I’m glad they got this experience. They’ve earned it.”
The Foxes (15-4) raced out to a 10-1 run over the contest’s first nine minutes and change, with Golden Tornado (9-8-1) senior Ava Best’s first of two goals being the only interrupter.
“I think that’s always a point of emphasis for us, is starting pretty strong,” Fox Chapel coach Kellee Cribbie said. “Obviously, the draw is like a 50/50 ball any time you have a draw, so we’re always focused on making sure we’re the team that’s winning that 50/50 battle.”
Facing an onslaught of Fox Chapel shots, Butler senior goaltender Lauren LeGrand reached a milestone of her own.
“Lauren wanted to break 200 saves this year and I think she finished the season with 204 saves, unofficially,” Hurley said. “I know she went over 200, which for one season is absolutely incredible.”
She’s one of a half-dozen seniors that started the game that will be moving on. The others were Lindsay Gavula, Emma Sherwin, Kasey Kennedy, Nicole Schroeder, and Best.
“We have a lot of seniors that are leaving, so there’s going to be a lot of positions that are open,” Hurley said. “There’s going to be a lot of battles. ... It’ll be fun. It’ll be the first time we’ve had a goalie competition since Lauren (LeGrand) has been around. We’re losing all four attack girls.
“We’ll have an off-season program and we’ll see if we can build on this.”
Hurley hopes a steady program over the coming months will benefit his crew.
“We have the numbers, we have the talent, it’s just putting it together,” he said. “Most of these girls play travel ball for Fox Chapel, Pine(-Richland), NA, Shady Side Academy. Our girls picked up the sticks right before the season started.
“We’ll see if we can close that gap this off-season and go from there.”
Sophomore Taryn Hilovsky and freshman Izzy Skal also netted markers in the loss.
For the Foxes, Caroline Grimsley had five goals, Sydney Schutzman four, and Caroline Leland three. Megan Delaney, Kennedy Murton, Zehra Ozkaya, Caroline Franklin, Madelyn Jones, and Kara Orie also scored.
