Crestwood midfielder Jordan Andrews leans into Abington Heights midfielder Brooklyn Yankow in the first quarter, advancing the ball.
Fred Adams | For Abington Journal
Crestwood attacker Jackie Gallagher looks to pass as Abington Heights defender Olivia Kim looks to block in the second quarter.
Fred Adams | For Abington Journal
Crestwood attacker Gia Caporuscio finished with four goals and four assists to surpass the 300-point plateau for her career during Tuesday’s game against Abington Heights.
Fred Adams | For Abington Journal
Crestwood midfielder Jordan Andrews and Abington Heights attacker Morgan Davis collide going for the ball in the first quarter.
Fred Adams | For Abington Journal
Crestwood midfielder Jordan Andrews tries to elude Abington Heights defender Olivia Kim in the first quarter.
Fred Adams | For Abington Journal
WRIGHT TWP. — Two undefeated Wyoming Valley Conference teams walked into Tuesday night’s game. Only one could walk out with its unblemished conference record intact.
Abington Heights has had Crestwood’s number the past few seasons, and things were no different in this clash of the league’s premier programs.
Allie Rothenberger scored seven goals, Morgan Davis added four scores, and Abington Heights held on for a 15-11 win over Crestwood to take over sole possession of first place in the WVC.
A big edge at the draw control circle and a 6-2 second-quarter advantage were big deciding factors for Abington Heights, building a lead that would prove insurmountable.
“We were really successful on the draw today, Morgan did a nice job directing it, and Allie was really quick off the circle for us,” Abington Heights coach Becky Davis said. “It certainly wins games, especially against teams that you’re so close in skill level with.”
That edge at the circle allowed Abington Heights to come firing out of the gates, scoring three goals in the first four minutes to get Crestwood reeling early.
Sarah Kondraski scored Crestwood’s first goal to get some momentum back for her side, and Crestwood was able to make it a 4-3 game heading to the second quarter.
After trading goals early in the second, Abington Heights ripped off five in a row to turn a 5-4 game into a 10-4 one, with Crestwood clawing one back in the closing seconds of the half courtesy of Gia Caporuscio.
Rothenberger, a midfielder who got herself involved in seemingly every play on both ends of the field from wire to wire, had four goals in the first half for Abington Heights.
She wasn’t done there: the senior scored all three Abington Heights goals in the third quarter, assisted on one more in the fourth and continued to be a thorn in Crestwood’s side at every turn.
“My teammates always help me get open, I really owe it all to them,” Rothenberger said. “We work as a unit together, we don’t care who scores as long as the ball gets in the net.”
Crestwood was able to string together some goals in the fourth quarter, but not enough to cover all the ground needed to catch up to Abington Heights.
Jackie Gallagher and Caporuscio each had four goals to lead Crestwood’s attack. Kondraski, Jordan Andrews and Nyla Knorr added a goal each.
Caporuscio entered Tuesday night’s game sitting at 299 career points, and quickly reached the 300-point milestone with her assist on Kondraski’s goal to open scoring for her team.
She had four assists total to go along with her four goals while also handling the majority of Crestwood’s draw control duties.
The win marks the fourth straight for Abington Heights over Crestwood, including both the regular season and district playoffs.
The two squads have combined to win the last five District 2 Class 2A titles; Crestwood from 2021-23, and Abington Heights the past two years, with both championship wins coming over Crestwood.
Abington Heights will be back at home on Thursday against North Pocono and will wrap up the conference schedule against Tunkhannock on May 6.
