With less than a minute remaining Friday, Upper Perkiomen's lacrosse team had one final opportunity to score the game-tying goal against Pope John Paul II, force overtime and then clinch a berth in the Pioneer Athletic Conference playoffs.

        The offensive rush never led to a shot on goal, forcing the Indians to deal with a season-ending 11-10 loss.

       On senior night, when five players and one manager were honored, Upper Perkiomen (5-8 PAC-10, 8-10 overall) rallied from a four-goal deficit early in the second half to force a 9-9 tie.  The visiting Panthers scored consecutive man-up goals to go ahead 11-9 with 7:18 remaining.        "This is a very disappointing ending," head coach Susan Flack. "Our girls wanted the game. They played their hardest. We just couldn't get enough shots to go in."

        But the Indians responded. Aubrey Wilcox scored to get them within one goal with 6:18 to go. They had a chance to tie the game in the waning seconds, but Meghan Haffey intercepted a pass with 26.1 seconds left to secure a second place finish in the Frontier Division for Pope John Paul II.

        "I am disappointed," said senior Sam Dingler. "But we played hard, and were in the game the whole way." 

        Fighting back tears, Wilcox called the loss a letdown. The senior attacker explained that the young team bonded well.  "We did the best that we could," she said.

        Morgan Rynn finished with four goals and an assist in the loss. Wilcox delivered two goals and two assists. Regan McComb recorded 15 saves.

        The Indians came into Friday on a roll, having won three of their four previous games. On April 23, they posted a 15-10 road victory over Pottstown. Rynn and Wilcox each scored five goals, while Olivia Vogel added three.

        Following a 14-8 loss to Phoenxville, they posted a 10-9 non-league road win over Upper Merion. McComb recorded 17 saves, while Wilcox, Olivia Vogel, Hope Flack and Hannah Leight each scored twice.

        According to Wilcox, Upper Perkiomen's players could not have predicted their season-ending game against the Panthers to carry such significance.

        Pope John Paul II played its way into contention with recent one-goal wins over Phoenixville and Perkiomen Valley.  "We were not expecting that," she said.

        Flack called Wilcox, who finished her career with 96 goals, an offensive threat who attacks the opposing goal cage with aggression.

        "Aubrey wants the ball," said Flack, adding that Wilcox never needed encouragement to drive towards the opposing goalkeeper. "She knows how to get the job done."

        The coach described Dingler as the key to Upper Perkiomen's defense.

        "Sam has been solid all season," Flack said.

        The coach said she was happy with the outcome of the season. She described the team, which included seniors Wilcox, Dingler, Vogel, Brittany Baskin, Marielle Kuhns and Megan Coder, as a pleasure to coach.

        "This was a good group of girls," Flack said. "There were no issues on or off the field. The seniors did a very good job providing leadership for a very young team."