The game didn’t start how Penn Manor’s girls lacrosse team imagined, but the Comets found a way to win, maintaining poise and thus position in the District Three power rankings.
Penn Manor hosted Elizabethtown on Thursday night at Comet Field for the two teams’ final regular season game.
While the Comets found themselves down early in the non-leaguer, they answered the high-powered Bears to come away with a 14-9 win.
“We started off slow with the heat and the change in temperature,” said Penn Manor coach Anneli Starry. “We were also coming off two overtimes at L-S (Lampeter-Strasburg on Tuesday).
It took Penn Manor until midway through the first quarter to get its offense clicking, but when the Comets did, they were difficult to stop, scoring in bunches.
Charley-Lengel Kramer and Danielle Bruno spearheaded the Elizabethtown offense early, helping the Bears (9-9) take a 3-1 lead.
Grace Gerner got Penn Manor on the board, followed by an unassisted goal from Joelle Kroesen. From there, it was all Comets (13-5), as Ava Aslandis scored back-to-back goals to give Penn Manor its first lead early in the second quarter.
The Comets didn’t look back, dominating on both sides.
The win is an important one for Penn Manor, which looks to stack up wins before the district playoffs.
“We have a long weekend ahead of us,” said Starry. “We can rest our bodies and recuperate a little bit. Over the next two weeks we will have a lot of time to do PT, get stronger, mentally and physically, and be able to come back strong for the postseason.”
Aslandis, Kroesen and Lillie Swanson led the way for the Comets with three goals apiece.
Danielle Bruno continued her outstanding season for the Bears, scoring another three goals.
Penn Manor went into the game ranked ranked No. 9 in the district Class 3A power rankings, needing every win to stay within the top 12 that qualify for the playoffs.
“The girls really want to get as far into districts as possible,” said Starry. “We knew we had to pull it together this game.”
While Elizabethtown’s season came to an end, it was a campaign that was extremely successful for coach Cheyenne Benson and her team.
Bruno, a junior, broke the program’s all-time scoring record on Wednesday against Bishop McDevitt, a record that had been held for the previous eight years by Penn Manor assistant coach Sarah Leverentz.
Bruno scored a team-high 12 goals Wednesday.
“I immediately smiled and jumped into all my teammate’s hands,” said Bruno. “I was so excited; it was probably the best moment ever.”
Bruno, who is committed to West Chester University, is set to further distance herself in the Elizabethtown record book.
