By Bradley Schlegel
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/1/15
Hannah Keating scored four goals to lead Agnes Irwin to an 8-7 win today over Episcopal Academy in an Inter-Ac League showdown for first place.
The win put the Owls (15-1 overall, ranked No. 3 by Phillylacrosse.com) into sole possession of first place in the Inter-Ac with a 7-1 mark. EA (14-4, ranked No. 5) is 7-2.
The win also avenged a 7-6 overtime loss on April 7 to Episcopal Academy, which has won or shared the last 10 Inter-Ac League titles.
Kristen Burnetta and Maria Pansini each contributed a goal and an assist for the Owls. Hailey Andress posted seven saves.
Taylor Lucey, Katie Crager and Corrine Zannoli each scored two goals for EA.
“Whenever we play Episcopal Academy, it’s always a great game,” Agnes Irwin head coach Jenny Duckenfield said. “We have a tremendous rivalry.”
The Owls, who built a four-goal lead in the first half and led 5-3 at halftime, ran out the final 55 seconds to secure their victory.
Keating, who held the ball for the final 30 seconds, said the team wanted to run out the clock without taking any dumb shots.
“I was just running all over the field,” she said. “This was a really tough game.”
Keating’s third goal, midway through the first half, staked Agnes Irwin to a 5-1 lead.
“Hannah made some beautiful shots,” Duckenfield said. “She’s got a real quick release on her shot.”
Early Friday morning, Keating sent her coach a text message about the game. Duckenfield responded by providing shot advice.
“The encouraging words helped,” Keating said.
Consecutive goals by Zannoli and Crager pulled Episcopal Academy within 8-7. But the team couldn’t deliver the game-tying score.
“This was anyone’s game,” senior Jane Crager said. “It came down to who had the last shot. I thought our defense really stepped up. Early on, our attackers missed some chances to put the ball in the cage.”
Agnes Irwin School 5 3 — 8
Episcopal Academy 3 4 –7
Agnes Irwin School
Lila Barker 2a
Kristin Burnetta 1g, 1a
Olivia Carey 1a
Emily Fryer 1g
Hannah Keating 4g
Alicia O’Neil 1a
Maria Pansini 1g, 1a
Kate White 1g
Hailey Andress 7 saves
Episcopal Academy
Jane Crager 1g, 1a
Taylor Lucy 2g
Katie Crager 2g
Lily Crager 3a
Corrine Zanolli 2g, 1a
Sydney Gagnon 8
Leave a Reply