<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1CNDJm_0t5vCO4n00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1CNDJm_0t5vCO4n00" width="1280" height="720" ><figcaption>The Nazareth girls lacrosse team poses after beating Freedom 11-10 in overtime in the District 11 Class 3A quarterfinals. Desmond Boyle | For lehighvalleylive</figcaption></figure>The last time that the Nazareth girls lacrosse team won a District 11 playoff game was when it won a district title all the way back in 2012.For most of their D-11 Class 3A quarterfinal against Freedom Thursday evening, it looked like the Blue Eagles would have to wait another year, at least, to end that drought.Then came a second-half rally. Then, after Nazareth stormed back from trailing 9-6 to lead 10-9 only for the Patriots to tie the game with 14 seconds left and send it to overtime, came freshman Morgan Koch.Koch, a midfielder who is eighth on the Blue Eagles in scoring this year, popped up in the slot at the right time and, off a feed from senior Ellie Szulborski, scored the game winner with just eight seconds left in the first overtime.“It’s crazy, I don’t even know,” Koch said of scoring the game-winner. “Our team has insane perseverance. We never gave up throughout that whole game.”Fourth-seeded <a href="https://highschoolsports.lehighvalleylive.com/school/upper-nazareth-township-nazareth/girlslacrosse/season/2023-2024">Nazareth</a> defeated fifth-seeded <a href="https://highschoolsports.lehighvalleylive.com/school/bethlehem-township-freedom/girlslacrosse/season/2023-2024">Freedom</a> 11-10 at Andrew S. Leh stadium to progress to the semifinals.The Blue Eagles (13-6) will face top-seeded Pleasant Valley (20-0) in the semis 7 p.m. Monday, May 20 at Northampton.“It’s amazing. I’m not ready for this season to be over,” Nazareth coach Michelle Mihalko said while holding back tears. “This is a great group of seniors and I just wanna end on a high note.”“This win means the absolute most,” senior attack Riley Kennett said. “... It was a big win, it really was. We’re so proud of ourselves. We worked hard all of this season. We weren’t gonna be done after today.”Kennett gave Nazareth its first lead since the first goal of the game when she converted a free position with 2:57 left in regulation. Kennett, starting from Freedom junior goalie Arianna O’Keefe’s right, ran close to the cage, waited until she had an angle to shoot and scored.“I knew I had to be smart with it. I know how to tuck my stick and, right corner always,” Kennett said.The Patriots won the ensuing draw control and, after both teams turned the ball over, sophomore Karee Vandever scored her fourth goal of the game from a free position that was upheld after a brief discussion by the referees to tie the game at 10-10.Freedom won the draw control to start overtime and had two chances to end the game.Sophomore Jenelle Karabinus saw her shot saved by Nazareth junior goalie Allison Aroche-Pelaez. A foul helped the Pates retain possession, but Koch came up with a ground ball and completed a clearance.The Blue Eagles almost turned the ball over at the other end, but Szulborski scooped a ground ball, drove towards the cage, patiently waited for the chance to open up before passing to Koch.“We really started spreading out and working the ball more, taking our time and looking up,” Koch said.Nazareth amped up the pressure during the third quarter as it extended its ride the length of the field to force Freedom into turnovers.“We said that we wanted to pressure tight,” Mihalko said. “We knew that we were under the gun and everybody on the field needed to pressure whoever they were in front of.”Nazareth scored four unanswered in the second half, starting with Parker Golden’s goal on a bounce shot from a free position with 4:29 left in the third and culminating with Kennett’s goal late in regulation.After the Blue Eagles came up with a couple ground balls following saves by O’Keefe, Szulborski provided an assist to Kennett, who cut the deficit to 9-8 1:36 into the fourth quarter.“We started spreading out, a lot more ball movement, clearing lanes and just making plays for each other. That’s what we do best,” Kennett said.Senior Ashlee Gensits tied the game at 9-9 halfway through the fourth with a low, sweeping effort.Nazareth’s second-half comeback started at the center circle. After Freedom won the majority of the draw controls in the first half, the Blue Eagles won 8-of-12 after halftime.“When we came into the huddle at halftime, we just needed to remember that we had to go back to the fundamentals and play our game,” Mihalko said.With O’Keefe, who was selected as the <a href="https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/highschoolsports/2024/05/epc-releases-girls-lacrosse-all-star-team-pleasant-valleys-bush-named-mvp.html">Eastern Pennsylvania Conference all-star</a> first-team goalie, making 14 saves, Nazareth also had to adjust its approach in front of the cage.“She is an amazing goalie and it is very hard to shoot on her,” Kennett said of O’Keefe. “... Seeing the net when you’re shooting, not really paying attention to the goalie, seeing the net and ball placement. It’s all about ball placement.”Mihalko and longtime Freedom coach Charis Innarella also praised O’Keefe’s performance.“I’m proud of them for the fight and the effort they put in all year. Our goalie Ari had another tremendous game,” Innarella said. “She just comes up so big for us and has been doing it all year. You just hurt for the seniors... I’m proud of these kids and proud of the entire team. We went down fighting, we played a good game.”Vandever and senior Phoebe Cunningham both scored four times for the Patriots, who finished the season 11-6.“It was a tight game all the way. Even when they went up and then we tied it up in regulation to take it to overtime, I was proud of the kids,” Innarella said. “We won that first draw (in OT), we just couldn’t come down and capitalize and take advantage of that.”Gensits led the Blue Eagles with four goals. Kennett and junior Julia Novak both scored twice.“It shows our grit, how dedicated we are and how much we love this sport,” Kennett said of the comeback. “We come here every day, work hard at practice and I think we showed it today.”Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com.Desmond Boyle may be reached at <a href="mailto:dboyle@lehighvalleylive.com">dboyle@lehighvalleylive.com</a>.</div></body>

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Nazareth girls lacrosse rallies to OT-win over Freedom in D-11 3A quarterfinals

The last time that the Nazareth girls lacrosse team won a District 11 playoff game was when it won a district title all the way back in 2012. For most of their D-11 Class 3A quarterfinal against Freedom Thursday evening, it looked like the Blue Eagles would have to wait another year, at least, to end that drought.

Nazareth girls lacrosse rallies to OT-win over Freedom in D-11 3A quarterfinals

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