Pittston Area goalie Brooke Albertelli (36) saves another goal against Wyoming Area on Tuesday. She recorded her career 150th save during the game.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
The ball finds the back of the net as the Warriors’ Alana Zdaniewicz (11) scores against Pittston Area on Tuesday.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
Pittston Area’s scoring ace, freshman Milania Widdick (1), scores one of her eight goals on the day. She also reached her 50th career goal during the game against Wyoming Area at home on Tuesday.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
Pittston Area’s Cami Karp (3) and the Warriors’ Alana Zdaniewicz (11) fight for possession in the rival lacrosse game on May 5 at Hughestown.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
Warrior goalie Maggie Huang (00) tosses the ball out to a teammate while Pittston Area’s Addyson Kelly (8) attempts to block the pass on Tuesday, May 5.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
The Pittston Area girls lacrosse team picked the right time for what first-year coach Robbie Switzer described as its top effort of the year.
Junior goalie Brooke Albertelli and freshman Milania Widdick each reached season milestones Tuesday while leading host Pittston Area past rival Wyoming Area 12-6 in a Wyoming Valley Conference season finale.
Widdick scored eight times, moving her past 50 goals for the season. Albertelli made six saves, including her 150th of the season.
“The first thing we said to (Albertelli) when we got back to the locker room,” Switzer said. “That was probably the best game she’s played all year.”
Widdick led an offense that scored four times in the third quarter to expand a 4-2 halftime lead to 8-3 and put Pittston Area in command.
The win left both teams with 2-11 records in the WVC, tied for 12th out of 14 teams. Both finished 3-11 overall, falling short of the District 2 playoffs.
Instead, the rivalry game served as their season-ending focal point.
Switzer is used to coming out on top in the Pittston Area-Wyoming Area showdown, but for the past nine seasons, that was as an assistant coach on the other side of the river.
“These guys were aware,” Switzer said. “They knew my background, that I had some years of service over at Wyoming Area. I think they had it earmarked on the calendar when we were going to play.”
Those dates had to be crossed out twice for weather-related postponements, but when the teams finally got together, the Lady Patriots were ready.
“It was definitely a different experience, especially playing over here as opposed to at Tenth Street,” Switzer said. “They had seven girls who had varsity experience and had played over the last three years for Carl (DeLuca) and myself.”
Switzer put that knowledge to use, and his players executed their defensive game plan.
“I kind of was aware of who we needed to key on,” Switzer said. “During the week, we put in a special defense just to control their scorers to make sure we knew who they were and where they were.”
Switzer credited a team effort, particularly with the defenders and midfielders.
“We went from what we normally would play with a man defense,” he said. “We put in a zone defense with a little twist to it just to know where their shooters were and make sure we always had a stick on them.”
Albertelli watched that effort unfold before her.
“Communicating and working together definitely helped us,” she said.
And, when she was needed, Albertelli was ready.
“You have to put yourself out there and make sure your team is taken care of when the other team is trying to score,” said Albertelli, who switched from field play to goalie as a freshman and became a starter this season.
Widdick has led the team in scoring throughout the season.
“I like to take control a lot,” she said.
Or, as Switzer describes it, “she comes out of the parking lot ready to shoot.”
Working with her teammates, Widdick repeatedly wound up in position to score on Tuesday.
“I try to get them passing the ball and working together and just getting them happy on the field and confident,” said Widdick, who is also a field hockey player and began playing club lacrosse in seventh grade.
Maddie Lis contributed two goals and three assists, while Addy Kelly had a goal and two assists. Widdick and Cierra Serino each had an assist.
Wyoming Area got three goals from Addison Byers. Bree Harry added two, and Alana Zdaniewicz scored one.
