ON THE STICK: Princeton High girls’ lacrosse player Quinn Gallagher heads upfield last Wednesday as PHS faced Notre Dame in the Colonial Valley Conference (CVC) semifinal round. Senior standout midfielder and University of Delaware commit Gallagher tallied four assists in a losing cause as the third-seeded Tigers fell 12-10 to second-seeded and eventual champion Notre Dame. PHS, which moved to 13-4 with the defeat, plays at Westfield on May 20 before starting action in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) tournament. (Photo by Frank Jacobs III)
By Bill Alden
Quinn Gallagher didn’t score a goal but she helped trigger the offense for the Princeton High girls’ lacrosse team as it faced Notre Dame in the Colonial Valley Conference (CVC) semifinal round last Wednesday.
Seconds into the contest which was held at Allentown High, senior midfielder Gallagher set up behind the net and dished a feed to Emerson Barker that she buried in the back of the net to give PHS a 1-0 lead.
“We have a lot of plays where it is low feeding, I feel like I always find myself behind there,” said senior star midfielder and University of Delaware commit Gallagher. “I work best around the crease. I always try to look for the open person that is just what I am focused on.”
With the third-seeded Tigers having edged second-seeded Notre Dame 10-9 in its season opener on March 30, Gallagher and her teammates knew they needed to be focused in the CVC tourney rematch.
“We were really looking forward to playing Notre Dame again,” said Gallagher. “It was our first game and it was a really close game. We won by one, which was really impressive because it was the first time we beat Notre Dame in a while.”
In round two this spring, Gallagher got four assists to keep the game close.
“I love everybody working as a team, I feel that is the biggest asset,” said Gallagher. “I really like it when people are working together. I feel that is what actually makes a team work.”
While the Tigers worked hard, they found themselves trailing 10-7 in the third quarter and a late rally fell short as eventual CVC champion Notre Dame prevailed 12-10.
“I feel like we did a really good job getting back,” said Gallagher.
“We were very aggressive, obviously the outcome wasn’t what we wanted. It’s OK, we will get through it.”
The team’s senior group which includes Leah Bornstein, Nicki Lee, Zoie Reynolds, Katie Callen, Ronin Scott, and Marisa Consoli in addition to Gallagher has done a good job collectively over the last four years.
“We just work so well together,” said Gallagher, who now has 162 goals and 135 assists in her career. “I love working with Leah, I have played lacrosse with her forever. There are so many of us, like all of us are starters. Zoie, Gracie, Leah and Nicki have all been on my club team. That is how we work well together too. The bond is really good. I am definitely going to miss the team.”
Gallagher is excited to be joining her college team and will connecting with the Blue Hens this summer.
“On my last day of school they give me a packet, it is basically saying all of the summer workouts that I have to do,” said Gallagher.
“I am playing two committed games with them. It is two tournaments. We play like the UNC commits which is cool because I have some friends on that team. We play the Penn State commits. It is all of my grade and the younger grade below, the ones that are already committed.”
PHS head coach Kait Birnbohm-Kaminski wanted her players to be committed to playing a smart game against the Irish.
“The game plan was to continue to be patient on attack, look for opportunities and breaks in their zone,” said Birnbohm-Kaminski. “It was to be aware to their key players and to just play team defense.”
Birnbohm-Kaminski credited Gallagher with being an offensive catalyst for the Tigers.
“Quinn gets it going consistently for us in games,” said Birnbohm-Kaminski. “She just looks for her teammates constantly.”
DePrince was on the receiving end of some of those looks as she tallied a team-high three goals in the loss.
“I am loving watching her, her off-ball movement is very intuitive,” said Birnbohm-Kaminski, who also got two goals from Barker and Bornstein. “She places her shots, she has been continually placing them really high.”
While the Tiger comeback fell short, Birnbohm-Kaminski was proud of how her players competed to the final whistle as the team moved to 13-4.
“It just shows their heart,” said Birnbohm-Kaminski. “You never have to doubt that these girls aren’t going to play until the last whistle.”
With PHS playing at Westfield on May 20 before starting action in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) tournament, Birnbohm-Kaminski believes the CVC run will help her squad as it gets going in the state tourney.
“Any time that we can play good competition that is helpful for us,” said Birnbohm-Kaminski. “What we are learning off of this game is to continue to support each other but also minimize our errors. Notre Dame capitalized on our mistakes and our turnovers.”
Gallagher, for her part, is looking forward to competing in the state tournament.
“We were really happy that we made it the semis,” said Gallagher. “We have two more games next week and then we start out in states. We are really excited.”