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GIRLS LACROSSE: Friends Schools League Heading For a Tight Finish For The Top Seed

By Jerome Taylor, 04/22/22, 8:30AM EDT

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BY: JEROME TAYLOR

(Photos and Video by Colleen Claggett, James Williamson & Zack Beavers)

 

Since last week’s roundup, The Friends School League has lacked in quantity of games, but there was certainly no drop off in the quality of competition.

Here’s what happened since last week in the FSL:

One Unbeaten Team Left

On the back of senior Becca Clark, Academy of the New Church was blazing to start the season: a decisive 13-4 victory over George School in the conference opener, followed by an 11-3 throttling of Abington Friends and finally a 13-5 win over Westtown. The Lions were dominant through 6 total games, and they were the only team with an unblemished overall record in the league. Key word: were.

On Wednesday, Shipley got out to a strong 7-3 halftime lead over the Lions. And when the Lions made their inevitable run in the second half to tie the game at 9, the Gators kept them at bay to secure a 13-12 victory.

Shipley School vs. Academy of The New Church.(video/Colleen Claggett for PSD)

It was a nice bounce-back victory for the Gators, who lost to Abington Friends for the first time in school history. Now the FSL standings have a familiar face at the top… 

Shipley senior captains (l) Emma Baker and (r) Jaiden Griffin talk about what contributed to their 13-12 victory. (Video/Colleen Claggett for PSD)

Academy of The New Church Senior Captain Sabrina Brock talks about her team's takeaways from their game vs. Shipley. (video/Colleen Claggett for PSD)

A Standings Shakeup

While Shipley was busy unseating Academy of the New Church, Germantown Friends wrapped up a 13-0 shutout over Friends Central.

And now the reigning champs are back at the top of the division. Sophomore Isla Ablin stopped all six shots she faced in Tuesday's game. A credit to her for stopping them and the Tigers’ defense – led by seniors Bluma Hammarhead and Dylan Ragas – for only allowing six shots on goal.

Offensively, nine players ended up with points for the Tigers, led by Annie McLaughlin’s 6 points (3 goals, 3 assists) and four points apiece from Alexa Hanson (2 goals, 2 assists) and Ella Shay (3 goals, 1 assist).

Germantown Friends vs. Friends' Central. (video/James Williamson for PSD)

To protect the number one seed heading into the playoffs, the Tigers will have to fend off the aforementioned Academy of the New Church (4/22), the current 3-seed Abington Friends (4/27). They will wrap the season up against their rival Shipley on April 29th.

Germantown Friends' junior Ella Shay talks about her team's anticipation from the start and team's key offense. (video/James Williamson for PSD)

Germantown Friends' senior Clare Meyer talks about her team's dynamics during the game vs. Friends' Central. (video/James Williamson for PSD)

Friends' Central's Senior Madelyn Berger discusses challenges on defense and offense and moving forward. (video/James Williamson for PSD)

George School Reaches .500

After falling behind 6-2 to Moorestown Friends at halftime, the Cougars roared back to a 12-11 victory behind twins Izzy and Lexi Matson and some late-game heroics from freshman Victoria Opiatowski.

“This had to be one of my proudest moments for me in my coaching career,” George School head coach Nancy Bernardini said. “The comeback was awesome to watch, with the team leaving everything on the field today.”

In almost any win, ball control was vital. And the Cougars got a significant contribution from Peyton Copeland, who won 7 draws in the comeback.


George School after game vs. Moorestown Friends. (photo/George School Athletics)

Offensively, the Matson twins combined for 7 goals (4 for Izzy and 3 for Lexi), but the most crucial goal of the game came from Opiatowski, who scored her second goal of the afternoon with 1:45 remaining to secure the victory for the Cougars.

The remainder of the Cougars’ league schedule is daunting, to say the least after a Thursday matchup with Westtown, they’ll finish their season on the road. First against Shipley on Tuesday (4/26) and a conference finale against Abington Friends that Friday (4/29).

Abington Friends Stays on Track

Speaking of the Kangaroos, Abington Friends remain in third place in the conference amongst all the chaos at the top of the league table. The Kangaroos find themselves in the same spot as last week after Tuesday's 13-7 victory over Westtown.

The Kangaroos’ schedule gets tougher from here, though. After a game against Moorestown Friends on Friday, their final two regular-season games will be against top 5 teams. As they head to top seeded Georgetown Friends on Wednesday (4/27) and finish up conference play against George School on April 29th.

Abington Friends School vs. Westtown. (video/Zack Beavers for PSD)

Abington Friends Senior Maya Muller talks about her team's strong defense in game vs. Westtown. (video/Zack Beavers for PSD)

Westtown's freshman Sophia Jones talks about her team's strengths and improvements moving forward. (video/Zack Beavers for PSD)

Friends Schools League Standings as of 4/20

Germantown Friends 3-0, 4-2

Academy of The New Church 3-1, 6-1

Abington Friends 3-1, 5-3

Shipley School 2-1, 3-1-1

George School 2-2, 4-3

Moorestown Friends 1-3, 1-3

Westtown School 0-2, 0-2

Friends’ Central 0-4, 0-4-1

For corrections/additions - reach out to Jerome Taylor @ThatGuy_Rome