VILLANOVA, PA --The Agnes Irwin Owls’ soccer team opened its Inter Ac League play on a strong note. The team took on nearby rival and host Academy of Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Wednesday, September 11, and triumphed in a 4-0 shutout.
Composure played a key role in helping the Owls begin their league action with a record of 1-0. That especially held true during the second half of this crucial match. The team gradually calmed down and so it paid off.
Trailing by a score of 2-0 at halftime, the Irish were looking to fight their way back into the game. The team tried to go into the new half with open minds so they it could start all over again as it did at the very beginning. That worked for quite some time as the score stayed in check for a while.
Academy of Notre Dame vs. Agnes Irwin School (video -Dan McCarty)
Nevertheless, there was plenty of time on the clock and Agnes Irwin proved it. Senior forward Natalie Pansini completed her hat trick. Junior forward Alyssa Hardin registered a goal of her own before it was time to call it a game.
“In the beginning, we were doing really well but we just couldn’t get past that point of scoring a goal and letting it all flow,” said Pansini. “Once that happened, it just all came together. We started to just play with the results in the end.”
Hardin provided assists on two of Pansini’s goals. Pansini secured one goal unassisted. Senior goalkeeper Amelia Leyden stopped four shots.
Junior goalkeeper Megan Mackey led the way for Notre Dame’s defense with the help of her defender teammates.
“When they score a goal, you can’t let yourself get down,” said Mackey. “You just have to try and prevent them from scoring more goals.”
Notre Dame and Agnes Irwin have a long season ahead. Inter Ac League action resumes today, September 13, at 4:00 PM. The Owls host the Springside Chestnut Hill Academy Blue Devils. The Fighting Irish travel to the home of the William Penn Charter Quakers.
“We’ve always been a really quick team,” said Notre Dame’s Morgan O’Brien. “We have a lot of speed up front. Izzy (Casale) and Caeli (Maher) are superfast. In the back, we have a lot of fast players and a lot of strong players.”