Girls lacrosse: O'Donell, York knock out Montini

According to York girls lacrosse coach Ryan Walz, senior attack Eileen O'Donell is crafty.

He means that in a good way.

O'Donell is a threat to score at any time, and she proved it Tuesday in a 13-6 IHSA sectional semifinal win over Montini at Lyons Twp.

She scored five times, including four in the first half alone, to lead the Dukes into the sectional final at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Lyons against defending state champion Hinsdale Central.

"That's probably her biggest strength - offensively, she can go to the net and you just can't stop her," said Walz, whose team improved to 18-4.

O'Donell scored off the game-starting draw, taking a shot from the right side into the crease 13 seconds into the game. And it only got better from there for York.

She connected again at 20:30 coming up the center all alone, scoring from about 7 yards out. Her third came at 7:26 on a shot from 10 yards out dead center … while falling down. The next one came exactly three minutes later, from the right side off a Montini turnover.

For good measure her last goal came with 1:35 left in the game and set the final score.

"I think we were just really excited for this game," O'Donell said. "Your mental mindset is very important. We worked hard in practice all week to make sure we came out on top. You just really have to believe you can do it."

The Dukes also got 3 goals from sophomore attack Jenna Hughes and two apiece from two midfielders, sophomore Ellie Bernard and junior Cate Duhig.

O'Donell and crew benefitted from the fact that their team secured 14 of 20 draws and only turned the ball over eight times.

But Montini was a very dangerous opponent due to the presence of Johanna Kingsfield, a senior who will play at Northwestern next year. Always a threat to score, she did so four times Tuesday, often in the middle of a triple-team.

Her most impressive goal came with 5:12 in the first half, when she drove the crease and York dropped three defenders on her … and still scored.

"We were definitely trying to watch out for her because she was a strong player and we knew she was going to drive when she got the ball," Duhig said.

The Broncos also got goals from juniors Julia Marciniak and Shannon Williams and a whale of a night from senior netminder Audrey Maloney, who had 13 saves.

But opportunity eluded Montini, especially in the middle of the second half when they missed two penalty shots. Make those, and suddenly, it might be a different ballgame. Thirteen turnovers didn't help, either.

"They had great defense and great communication," Kingsfield said of York. "But at the end it was about effort. We did our best. We did what we could."

What will Kingsfield remember most about high school lacrosse?

"Just the people I played with - the team, the good memories," she said. "We were competitive. We did really good against Hinsdale. But definitely my coaches and my teammates."

Hinsdale Central 19, Lyons Twp. 5:

In the first semifinal Hinsdale Central got 5 goals apiece from sophomore attack Belle McCarthy and senior midfielder Kristiana Strtak en route to a 19-5 victory over Lyons Twp.

Madeline Pisani added 5 assists for the Red Devils, who improved to 17-4.

"Going into the game, coach (Dan Hartman) was saying that last year this was one our toughest playoff games, and it was kind of hard for us to win, so we kept that in mind and played our 'A' game," McCarthy said.