District 1 Class 3A Boys Lacrosse: Clutch Goldstein helps Radnor get revenge

RADNOR — Radnor advanced to the District 1 Class AAA lacrosse championship final Tuesday with a 10-9 win over Springfield in overtime.

The victory avenges an 11-10 loss in the semis to the Cougars last season, who went on to capture the district championship.

The Raptors take on Downingtown East, an 8-7 winner over Unionville in overtime, for the district title Thursday.

The end came 27 seconds into sudden win overtime.

Mason Brown won the faceoff to give the Raptors possession, coach John Begier called time and everyone who watched Ryan Goldstein put on a show knew he would get the ball.

Goldstein danced behind the net spinning this way and that, got past one check and through another and dashed in front to deliver the winner – his fourth of the game – past Ethan Johnson, who otherwise was sensational in goal for the Cougars, stopping seven shots after entering in the second half.

“I just kind of dodged, came around,” said Goldstein, who had three assists. “It was a great game. We came out ready to play and they answered. We came back strong in the fourth when they caught us. Last year we lost to them in district semis. This is a big game for us to come back. Kind of revenge. We were ready to go today. That’s a big win for us.”

The Cougars (16-5) face Unionville for third place on Thursday at a site and time to be determined.

Springfield senior middie Matt Shandley tallied four goals, three in a spree where the Cougars scored six straight goals to grab a 9-8 lead with seven minutes remaining. Down by four goals at the intermission, the Cougars were in an 8-3 hole with 7:48 left in the third period.

That’s when Shandley got hot and senior defenseman Shane Phillips took over. Phillips caused three turnovers and picked up the bulk of four ground balls in the frame.

“We got down early,” Shandley said. “But like Coach (Tom) Lemeiux always says, ‘you’re never out of it.’ With our faceoff guy (Colin) Hannigan winning faceoffs, we got possession after possession. The momentum just picks up and it never stops. We just ran out of time, really. We allowed too many transition goals, but we fought back. Our season isn’t over. We’ll definitely see them in states.”

Radnor is seeking to become the first Delco team to win back to back state titles since Springfield in 2016-17. Their goalie, Nate Brown, was sensational in net with 13 saves against an aggressive attack. Begier did a solid job of keeping hope alive so the Raptors didn’t fold under immense pressure from the Cougars.

Click HERE to read the full article.

Radnor's Ryan Goldstein, in action against Kennett last week, scored three goals including the winner , and had three assists as the Raptors outlasted Springfield in overtime, 10-9, to advance to the District 1 Class 3A championship game. (Pete Bannan/MediaNews Group).