Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Pine Crest advances to regional final
Pine Crest’s lacrosse team looked well on its way to the Region 4 final early Tuesday night, but a game that appeared to be getting out of hand evolved into more of a nail-biter.
No. 2 seed Pine Crest kept its season going after surviving a ferocious comeback from No. 3 seed Benjamin. The Panthers jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first four minutes of the home game, but allowed that advantage to slip away against a resilient Buccaneers team that tied things up before eventually falling, 13-11.
The hosts’ narrow victory set up a regional final matchup with top-seeded American Heritage-Delray on Friday.
“When we were up 7-0, I was like, ‘Oh, this feels good,’ but I knew they were going to come out and answer us eventually and when they did it was hard to stop,” said Pine Crest coach Eileen Pliske. “They started to get draw controls, they started to get possessions, and they started cashing in.
“That is a tough thing to stay composed through, but ... we did not come undone and we stayed composed the whole time. I am super proud of them.”
Thanks in part to an inspired performance from senior Lily Valentini, Benjamin had rallied back from the early seven-goal deficit to reestablish parity at 8-8 early in the second half. The Buccaneers nearly took the lead with 16:52 left to play, but a shot clanked off the right post and led to protests from a portion of the crowd that thought the ball went in.
“I thought it was in,” Benjamin coach Quinn Roe said, “but I am not wearing stripes.”
Added Pliske: “I will take it. It kissed the pipe. I am alright with that. It is okay.”
The game-winning goal came from junior Alexa Cepero with 10:06 to play, as she pushed the Panthers’ lead to 12-10 with her first of two scores on the day.
Senior goalkeeper Brianna Spatz also delivered a huge save with 6:58 left, denying the Buccaneers what would have been a tying goal when the game was 12-11 and sparking the immediate transition that ended with Pine Crest’s final tally.
“[The players] do not want their season to end and neither do we,” Pliske said. “We are going to take it as far as we possibly can.”
Lily Spyredes led the way for the Panthers, with the senior scoring five goals and delivering one assist. Her fourth strike made the game 9-8 and was key to Pine Crest’s efforts, as it reclaimed the lead for good and came a minute after the Buccaneers were denied of the go-ahead goal by the post on that aforementioned controversial play.
“I think she is one of the most unsung heroes of this region,” Pliske said of Spyredes. “She is an amazing player. Her work ethic every day sets the bar for us and she does not know how not to work hard, and it showed here. She was not going to go out quietly. She is incredible.”
Valentini, meanwhile, put forth a monstrous performance for Benjamin that saw her directly involved in nine of the team’s 11 goals. She scored three of them, including the tying tally, and assisted on six others.
“I am 25 and she is 18, and I actually look up to her,” Roe said. “She has got a very bright future ahead of her. Excellent lacrosse player, and an extremely talented person and leader.”
Another standout performer was Pine Crest sophomore Lilli Forman, who had one goal and four assists.
“Thank goodness she is coming back,” Pliske said. “I cry about all the [seniors] that are leaving, but Lilli Forman for a young player plays with incredible poise. I think when they started pressuring out on us we had to kind of adjust a little bit but her vision is exceptional, which is why she had so many assists.”