CLARKS SUMMIT — Scranton Prep’s Summer Larabee turned in a team Most Valuable Player performance and Abington Heights goalie Sophia Santarsiero made 11 saves June 26 when Team Yankow used a strong start and finish to play to an 8-8 tie with Team Cap in the NEPA Lacrosse High School Girls Senior All-Star Game at Abington Heights.
Team Cap moved ahead by three goals on three occasions, but Team Yankow forced a tie when North Pocono’s Nora Smith looped a shot over the goalie’s head from close range for the final goal with 1:30 remaining.
Carly Yankow, a former Lady Comets player now on the team at Catholic University, returned to Abington Heights to serve as coach of one team. She was assisted by head coach Becky Davis and assistant coach Greg Yankow.
Players from Abington Heights and Scranton Prep joined those from North Pocono and Wyoming Area to tie the team coached by Crestwood assistant Aaron Caporuscio. Team Cap included players from Crestwood, Dallas, Delaware Valley, Hazleton Area, Holy Redeemer, Lake-Lehman, Wilkes-Barre Area and Wyoming Seminary.
Crestwood’s Hannah Ziegler scored four straight goals, in a span of 8:15 covering the end of the first quarter and start of the second quarter, to turn a 2-0 deficit into a 4-2 lead. She was named team MVP.
Ella Novell from Crestwood assisted two of those goals while Delaware Valley’s Ava Kraszewski and Holy Redeemer’s Megan Albrecht assisted one each.
“I was really excited for it – an all-star game, all the seniors, one last run, it sounded like fun and it lived up to the hype,” Ziegler said. “ … Even though I haven’t played with some of the girls ever before, we had really great chemistry and they had great passes and the ball ended up in the back of the net.”
Kraszewski finished with two goals to go along with her assist while Novelli added a goal to her two assists.
Ella English from Dallas also scored while Kate Gallagher from Crestwood also had an assist.
Eva Blaum from Wyoming Seminary made eight saves.
Larabee had three goals and an assist to lead Team Yankow’s scoring and land the MVP honors.
Sadie Gilbert from Abington Heights served as one of the three team captains, voted on by teammates, and added two goals and an assist. Claire McGrath from Scranton Prep had a goal and an assist. Mira Sheehan from Scranton Prep, another captain, also scored a goal.
Gigi Butala and LeAnna Waters also represented Abington Heights.
Team Cap led 24-21 in shots, but Santarsiero kept Team Yankow within striking distance.