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GIRLS LAX: Sydney Wilson Lifts Agnes Irwin to Inter-Ac Tournament Victory In Final Seconds vs. Penn Charter

By Alex McGinley, 05/24/21, 8:15AM EDT

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EDITOR'S NOTE:

Due to Covid 19, the Inter-Academic League decided to host a postseason tournament for their spring sports which included softball, baseball, boys and girls lacrosse, boys tennis, boys and girls track and field and girls golf.

Seeding for the the Inter-Ac girls lacrosse tournament was determined by their coaches and listed below.

By: Alex McGinley

PHILADELPHIA- Entering Saturday morning, Agnes Irwin School and William Penn Charter were playing in a rubber match with each team winning one game against each other in the regular season. 

These teams first faced off on April 7, a game in which Penn Charter won 11-10 in overtime. In the second match on April 30, Agnes Irwin evened the season series by scoring a goal with 10 seconds left in the game to win 12-11.

With the first two games ending in dramatic fashion, it was only fitting that these two teams would meet again in this year's Inter-Ac Tournament Championship and in a game that would be decided in the final seconds. That’s exactly what happened as Agnes Irwin won 8-7 on a goal from junior midfielder Sydney Wilson with 37 seconds left to secure the Inter-Ac Championship and the season series.

“Jordan Healy, our goalie, was telling us before the game to shoot on the 8-meters,” said Wilson, who is a University of Florida commit. “When we were holding it up here, Coach (Lauren) Wray was telling us to wait for 20 seconds. Then, they started pushing out and she told us to go. Our girls on the side did a great job of pulling and spreading out and then drew the foul and Jordan told me to shoot low left, so that’s where I shot it.”

Wilson’s goal was the last of three consecutive goals the Owls scored to win the title. Penn Charter scored a pair of goals to take a 7-5 lead with 11:15 left in the game. However, the Owls’ defense shut down the Lady Quakers for the rest of the game.

Before Wilson’s game-winner, sophomore attack Ella Springer brought the game within one goal with 6:55 remaining. 44 seconds later, junior midfielder Cate Parsells evened it to set up another dramatic finish between the two schools.

“I think it was kind of representative of our season,” said Agnes Irwin coach Lauren Wray. “This team has been so resilient. We certainly had some bumps this season like every team does, but one thing that I can count on with this team is that they’re always willing to work harder and bounce back and correct the mistakes. I think when we’re down by two with however many minutes left, they’re not thinking about losing, they’re not thinking about giving up, they’re thinking about ‘Alright, how do we get the next goal?’ and then ‘How do we get the next goal?’ and then ‘How do we get the next draw?’ and ‘How do we stop them from scoring?’ So, it’s one play at a time and I think that really helped us today.”

Parcells led the Owls with a hat trick, while Springer and junior midfielder Carly Wilson each contributed a pair of goals. Seniors Jordan Healy and Paige Crowther split time at the cage, earning four saves each.

2021 Inter-Ac Tournament Championship - AIS vs. WPC Highlights by Alex McGinley:

For the Lady Quakers, three players scored all but one of their goals. Senior attack Kaylee Dyer, junior midfielder Charlotte Hodgson and sophomore midfielder Gracie Shoup scored two goals each. Senior attack Mia Ferraro also contributed a goal. At the net, senior goalkeeper Jaime Kubach stopped nine of the Owls’ shots in the losing effort.

Wray praised her team’s ability to share the ball throughout the game and believes the team was successful this season because they have multiple players that can be relied upon.

“I think our offense works together really well,” said coach Wray. “We don’t have one superstar who does it all for us. If they take Carly [Wilson] out of the game, we have somebody else who can step up and score. And I think that’s what has really made it special this year for us.”

AIS junior Sydney Wilson walks us through her game-winning goal:

Jordan Healy was extremely happy to end her senior season this way:

Saturday’s game was a special moment for each of the Agnes Irwin players, but it was especially memorable for its six seniors: Healy, Crowther, attack Brynn Ammerman and defenders Annabel LaveranCaroline Vauclain and Avery McMullin. For them, it was the perfect way to end their high school lacrosse careers.

“It’s really amazing,” said Healy, who is a Dartmouth commit. “I’ve been with the senior class, all six of us, for four years and we’ve just been kind of thinking about this, dreaming about this for the whole season.”

Agnes Irwin’s win would’ve been special in a normal season, but this year has been anything but normal. After the 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sydney Wilson and the rest of her teammates wanted to make sure this season ended on a high note.

“Last season, that was tough getting cancelled,” said Wilson. “And this was just a redemption year, come back, get what we wanted last year and play for those seniors.”