By: Cole Nowak
PHILADELPHIA- This was not the first time these opponents have faced off this season. Agnes Irwin School (AIS) hosted William Penn Charter (PC) on April 7th, which the Lady Quakers came out on top in a hard-fought overtime victory 11-10. Agnes Irwin had different ideas this time around.
“We played with a lot of confidence today. A big difference was our circle play. We lost a lot of draws in the first game and this game was much more even,” said AIS head coach Lauren Wray.
AIS jumped on the board first, but it did not come easy. Penn Charter goalie Jamie Kubach made multiple big saves in the game’s opening minutes. PC’s Mia Ferraro then got her afternoon started by scoring two goals 47 seconds apart from each other. PC would then punch in two more, capped off by Darcy Felter on a gorgeous feed by Charlotte Hodgson to push the Quakers ahead 4-1 with 10:54 left in the first half.
Over the next 10 minutes of gameplay, it was all Owls. Agnes Irwin's offensive attack would punch in five unanswered goals to take a hold of the lead, 6-4. The run was aided by PC penalties that were capitalized on by junior midfielders Sydney Wilson and Cate Parsells.
To cap off an exciting first half, with eight seconds left PC won the face-off and rushed up the field by Felter with urgency who then found Kaylee Dyer who snuck it in the back of the net as time expired in the half to bring the score to 6-5.
“I think it’s been such a close match-up just because both teams are equally as talented. As well as both teams are headed by amazing, dedicated coaches, it makes playing against each other that much more fun,” said AIS senior captain Brynn Ammerman.
The second half did not disappoint. AIS and PC traded blows at the outset of the half alternating goals. AIS’s junior midfielder Alex Lesko started the half’s scoring, followed by PC’s Dyer, then AIS Lesko scored again to bring it in favor of the Owls 8-6.
Penn Charter would not give up though, firing back to score four straight and take the lead back 10-8 with 13:19 left in second half. This run was ignited by the offensive attack of PC’s Maddie Shoup who tallied four goals on the afternoon.
“We switched up at first how we were going run our defense, pressure them a bit more which led to some interceptions. But on attack, just put the ball in the back of the net. We were getting a lot of opportunities in the first half and wanted to capitalize on them,” said PC junior midfielder Charlotte Hodgson when touching on second half adjustments.
AIS would respond again. Wilson would beat a double team and find freshman midfielder Blair Fox to cut the lead to one. Two minutes later, AIS would score again to bring the game deadlocked at 10-10 with 10:24 left to play.
Shoup would find the back of the net 35 seconds later to bring the Quakers ahead. The AIS defense would bend but not break, as they were able to end the Quaker's scoring from that point moving forward.
PC’s head coach Colleen Kelly called a timeout with 1:46 left to settle down her team. This timeout would end up benefiting the Owls, as they came out determined to find a way to win the game. They were able to tie it up with 48 seconds left to make it anyone’s game.
AIS continued to apply pressure on PC’s defense, making Penn Charter get physical leading to late penalties. With 10 seconds left, Carly Wilson got her chance to put the Quakers away via a penalty shot and buried her opportunity to lift the Owls over the Quakers in the game’s final seconds. This would cap off her strong performance on the day where she netted five goals.
“This win said a lot for us. Not only did it show our hard work and grit, but it proves that if you work together, really anything is possible. Our team is very, very young, we don’t have a lot of returning players but I’m glad we have been able to be successful. I am really proud of everyone – not just the field players, but our sideline too – they screamed their heads off for 50 minutes straight, motivating us to do our best,” said Ammerman.
Agnes Irwin vs. Penn Charter Highlights by Cole Nowak
Penn Charter's Charlotte Hodgson talks about her team's second half push and key takeaways from the loss to AIS:
Coach Wray spoke highly about her goalkeepers this season and how they have been able to handle split time in the cage, which can be uncommon. Both senior captain’s and Division 1 commits provide a steady foundation for the Owls on the defensive end. Jordan Healy will be heading to Dartmouth College, while Paige Crowther will be heading to The University of Oregon.
This was a huge win for Agnes Irwin and they look to pick up where they left off as they travel to Germantown Academy for their next contest this Tuesday.