By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/18/17
One team was moving on and another was reflecting on the end of an era.
EA’s Gabe Furey
Four players – Gabe Furey, Connor Ringwalt, Nate Emrick and CJ McAnally – had four goals each as Episcopal SAcademy claimed a 9-4 win tonight over Springside Chestnut Hill Academy in the Inter-Ac Invitational at the Conshohocken Proving Grounds.
Episcopal (11-4) will play defending tourney champion Culver Academy (IN) in the semifinals at Cabrini University Friday at 7 p.m. Culver (19-1), which advanced with a 17-7 win over Penn Charter, defeated EA, 11-6, on March 25.
For Springside Chesnut Hill – which has lost to EA three times – it was the end of a 10-12 season and the last game for coach Mike DelGrande after eight years. DelGrande, who posted a 73-86 record, did not have his contract renewed and his replacement will be announced tomorrow morning.
Furey said EA coach Chris Bates have a good pep talk.
“Coach Bates told us that this was possibly the last time we could play and that we had to turn on the switch,” Furey said. “He told us the better team is the team that plays harder so we turned it on in the second half.”
EA led, 4-2, at halftime and went up, 5-2, on a Quinn Chambers scramble goal 14 seconds into the second half. But Springside CHA pulled within 5-4 on goals by Joe Fabiani and Parker Popky before the end of the third quarter.
The Churchmen, though, dominated the fourth period as McAnally made it 6-4 and Emrick added another before Furey scored his pair.
“We looked at it as a new game and a team we had never before,” said Furey. “That was we had no expectations. But we knew they were a good team.”
Matt Rahill
Springside senior defenseman Matt Rahill, a Maryland signee, had only positives to say about his team and coach, who helped bring Springside CHA into the Inter-Ac as a full-time lacrosse member (when is was still named Chestnut Hill Academy) after a long career at Bullis School.
“We always fought hard and there is no other group I would play with,” Rahill said.
“I love coach; he is an awesome guy and he has done so much with this program. When he came in it was like a club program and he turned it into a very well known program in Pennsylvania. He’s done everything and he deserves all the credit. He has helped us all of us in so many different ways – on and off the field.”
Rahill said EA pounced on every SCHA error.
“If we make a mistake, they capitalize,” he said. “They are a great team and give them all the credit in the world for playing their game. They deserved it more than us today; the chips didn’t fall our way and we have to deal with it and learn from it.”
Episcopal Academy 9, Springside Chestnut Hill Academy 4
Episcopal Ac. 2-2-1-4- 9
Springside CHA 1-1-2-0 – 4
EA
Gabe Furey 2g, 2a
Connor Ringwalt 2g, 1a
CJ McAnally 2g
Nate Emrick 2g, 1a
Quinn Chambers 1h
Jake Floyd-Jones 10 saves
Jack Henderson 8 of 11 FO
Griffin Ernst 4 of 6 FO
Springside Chestnut Hill Academy
Brendan Clark 1g
Joe Fabiani 1g
Mac McLaughlin 1g, 1a
Matt Rahill 1a
Parker Popky 1g
Bern Popky 10 saves