Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 2/18/15
From Press Release
After nearly 75 minutes of play, junior midfielder Kelly Phelan scored the game-winner with 3:18 remaining in triple overtime to lift the Saint Joseph’s women’s lacrosse team (1-1) to a 13-12 win over American (1-1) on Wednesday evening on Sweeney Field. With the victory, Saint Joseph’s picked up its first win of the season as head coach Alex Kahoe earned her first win as a collegiate head coach.
In an extraordinary defensive effort, senior goalkeeper Nora McGeever (Archbishop Carroll) became Saint Joseph’s program recordholder in single-game saves, stopping 22 shots in her first collegiate win.
Saint Joseph’s sophomore midfielder Sarah Smith netted a single-game career-high four goals, while Phelan (3G), sophomore attack Nora McCallion, Notre Dame Academy, (3G), and freshman attack Rena Carabases (3G) added hat tricks.
After winning the draw control to start the third overtime, American’s Olivia Mangan fired off a rocket on net, but McGeever made her school-recordbreaking 22nd save to gain possession for the Crimson and Gray. A successful clear tore the Hawks down the field to set up Phelan’s game-winner.
The Hawks owned an 11-10 lead heading into the final 1:06 of regulation, but American’s Madison Hoon netted an unassisted equalizer to force the game into overtime.
With 3:40 remaining in the first six-minute overtime, Carabases registered her third goal of the game to put the Hawks back ahead, 12-11.
Saint Joseph’s would hold off the Eagles’ scoring efforts, including a trio of shots that were saved by McGeever, for the next three minutes until American’s Jessica Wojciechowski converted a free position goal with 38 seconds remaining.
Neither team would attempt a shot in those final seconds of the first six-minute overtime, and both teams would be kept scoreless despite a combined five shots in the second overtime. Then, just 2:42 into the third overtime, Phelan’s goal would win it for the Hawks.
Saint Joseph’s scored eight of their 13 goals in the first half, led by the dominating performances of McCallion and Smith, who teamed up for the squad’s first seven scores.
Trailing 2-0 early on, Smith converted on a free position at the 22:06 mark to cut SJU’s deficit to one goal, 2-1.
Another Eagles goal would extend the visitor’s lead, 3-1, but McCallion (19:30) and Smith (16:26) netted consecutive tallies to equalize the score, 3-3.
After American regained the lead on an even-strength goal (15:25) by Terese Buechli, the Hawks fired off five consecutive scores on pairs by McCallion (9:28, 8:52) and Smith (6:51, 5:39) and Carabases’ first collegiate goal to jump out to an 8-4 lead with 5:15 to play in the first half. Sophomore defender Maggie Egan assisted on three of SJU’s first-half goals.
The Eagles scored twice more before the first 30:00 ended, including an EMO free position goal with four seconds to play, as SJU held an 8-6 edge heading into the halftime break.
Entering the second half, Phelan scored a pair of goals (27:25, 23:03) to extend SJU’s lead back to four, 10-6, before American went off for three straight scores on a trio of free position goals to close the gap, 10-9, with 16:09 remaining in regulation.
Carbases added an unassisted score just four minutes later to give the Hawks a two-goal advantage, but American answered on an free position goal to trail by just one, 11-10, with 10:03 to play.
The next 8:57 remained scoreless, until Hoon put American’s equalizer into the back of the net at the 1:06 mark to eventually force the game into its first overtime.
For the game, American owned a 37-27 advantage in shots and slight edge in ground balls (24-20) and draw controls (17-14).
Phelan led the Hawks with eight shots, landing five on goal, while Smith and McCallion both landed all five of their shots on net. Phelan also added a game-best eight draw controls while freshman midfielder Kate Payne and junior defender Mallory Grey teamed up for seven ground balls and seven of SJU’s 13 caused turnovers.
Saint Joseph’s doubled American’s number of clear attempts, going 18-of-26, including 10-of-11 in the first half.
In just her second collegiate start, McGeever made 17 saves in 60 minutes of regulation and added five stops in 15 minutes of overtime for her first collegiate win. After American’s final score of the game with 38 seconds remaining in the first overtime, McGeever’s 21st and 22nd saves secured the win for the Crimson and Gray. Additionally, McGeever held the Eagles to just 50% shooting (6-of-12) in FPS.
Saint Joseph’s will host the Wales National Women’s Lacrosse Team in an exhibition match-up tomorrow, February 18, on Sweeney Field at 4:00 p.m. The Hawks’ next regular-season game will be Monday, March 2 against Wagner at 7:00 p.m. on Sweeney Field.
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