Mt. Lebanon boys lacrosse runs into roadblock in state power Radnor in PIAA quarters

By: Luke Brown
Saturday, June 7, 2025 | 7:27 PM

MECHANICSBURG — The Radnor Raptors of Wayne in Delaware County are 5-0 all-time in PIAA boys lacrosse championship games, and that program was the challenge facing Mt. Lebanon on Saturday afternoon.

As the goals racked up early and often in the first quarter, Mt. Lebanon coach Mike Ermer said he was never disheartened through an eventual 11-2 loss to the Raptors, ending Mt. Lebanon’s season in the PIAA Class 3A quarterfinals.

“I didn’t feel disheartened at any point in time during the game,” said Ermer. “I thought, you know, if we could just sink a couple of shots, but man, their goalie was a handful. Hats off to that guy.”

Another handful was Tommy Goldstein, a junior committed to play at Cornell, which just won the NCAA Division I championship over Memorial Day weekend. Tommy’s brother, Ryan Goldstein, scored four goals in that national championship game.

Goldstein had two goals and three assists of his own in the quarterfinal win over the Blue Devils, including a behind-the-back pass to Patrick Gray, who finished it with a goal.

The Raptors went ahead 5-0 after the first quarter. At halftime, it was 7-0. It certainly wasn’t the plan for Ermer and the Blue Devils, but the hole was not impossible to dig out of. And that was the mentality the entire way through the game.

Keegan Green tallied the Blue Devils’ first score of the game, as the horn sounded for the third quarter. It could not have been more last-second.

The Raptors struck again with 7:45 in the third quarter on the Gray goal from Goldstein’s assist. After that, junior Cole Gibbons scored Mt. Lebanon’s second goal of the day with the clock down to 2:13 on the game.

The Mt. Lebanon girls lacrosse team stood by with supportive comments towards Cole and Lukas Bilec, who delivered the assist, as they geared up for their game directly to follow.

Gibbons’ goal was the last for the either team, as the last 2:13 ran out at Mechanicsburg’s John H. Frederick Field, and Mt. Lebanon’s season came to a close.

“I’m nothing but proud of these guys,” said Ermer. “I mean, we lost so many good players last year. And for the seniors and the juniors and even some of the young guys to step up and have the year that we did, I’m nothing but proud.”

It’s a year that included a WPIAL championship for the Blue Devils, a 12-11 win over Shady Side Academy on May 22. The season ended with a 17-5 record for Mt. Lebanon.

Radnor will move on to face WPIAL runner-up Shady Side Academy in the PIAA semifinals after the Bulldogs’ 11-8 win over Manheim Township on Saturday evening.

Tags: Mt. lebanon