GIRLS SOCCER: All Teams Making Mid-Season Strides in This Week’s Inter-Ac Notebook

Photos/Videos: Colleen Claggett, Zamani Feelings, Lennie Malmgren & Aaron Mitchell

By: Adam Fine

The end of the Inter-Ac girls’ soccer season is looming. Some teams are picking up momentum at the right time, while others hope to make one last push before PAISAA playoffs begin.

Here is look at how each team is fairing and their visions for the remainder of the season…

Springside Chestnut Hill Academy: 7-0-1 Inter-Ac

The pre-season favorite and defending champs are off to an excellent start and are standing tall in first place. The Blue Devils opened with three straight wins in conference play against Agnes Irwin (3-0), Penn Charter (3-1) and Germantown Academy (2-0) before heading into a matchup with Episcopal Academy on Sept. 29, which went down to the wire.

“Episcopal is a team filled with talent that plays great soccer. It is always a good matchup when we play them and a challenge for our players,” said SCH head coach Maria Kosmin. “Maya is a great goalkeeper so we need to continue to be dangerous in the box and not so predictable in our attacking third.”

The Blue Devils saw success early, yet the team has gone through a few hiccups this season that has garnered some motivation to play even harder.

Abby Fitzmaurice scores for SCH in 2-0 victory vs. Penn Charter - PSD Video by Colleen Claggett

“It was hard to motivate the team so early in the season because they were so used to winning. Having an early loss to Conestoga and a tie recently to Pennington and Agnes Irwin, we are starting to see a change in the players’ attitude,” said Kosmin. “The grit and fight in them is coming back.”

Springside Chestnut Hill followed the aforementioned 1-1 tie against Agnes Irwin with a 2-0 win against Penn Charter. Goals were scored by senior center back Abby Fitzmaurice and Isabella Brown, who will be playing at Binghamton University next season. Fitzmaurice pointed out that it’s not just the division one commits that are going to take the Blue Devils back to the state championship.

“We’ve needed our underclassmen and even some of our other seniors to step up… but we definitely have the talent to take us back to where we were last year,” said Fitzmaurice.

That talent and grit will be essential the rest of the way as the Blue Devils have to see Episcopal and Notre Dame again before PAISAA playoffs.

Abby Fitzmaurice addresses team goals, improvements & players who have stepped-up - PSD Video by Colleen Claggett

Head Coach Maria Kosmin addresses her team's focus and notes takeaways from game vs. Agnes Irwin - PSD Video by Colleen Claggett

Episcopal Academy: 6-1 Inter-Ac

Episcopal is off to a great start in Inter-Ac play. The Churchwomen know how to be on the attack all game and have scored 20 goals in their seven league games. Not only that, but Ohio State commit Maya Naimoli has only let two balls by her in Inter-Ac play with five shutouts to her name.

“The stress level definitely lowers when we have a Big 10 commit in the net,” said EA head coach Andrew Fraggos. “And knowing Maya, she would also want to give credit to our stellar backline led by three-year junior starter Natalie Magnotta.”

Magnotta has been terrific this season and has recently committed to Penn State. Good luck scoring against a defense that has two future Big 10 players.

The Churchwomen have dominated so far this season, but Springside Chestnut Hill continues to stand in their way. So, Fraggos has some adjustments for the rematch.

“We were too conservative defensively, which limited our opportunities going forward,” said Fraggos. “The 1-0 loss in OT definitely lit a fire in us. As a coach looking around the huddle after the game, I could tell there wasn’t much that needed to be said other than, ‘We will see them again. At home.’”

Episcopal Academy vs. Germantown Academy - PSD Gallery by Aaron Mitchell

That game is Tuesday, October 25, and will be about as good as it gets for high school soccer.

Academy of Notre Dame De Namur: 5-2 Inter-Ac

Notre Dame is another team used to the success they are having early. After finishing second in states last year, the Irish know how to gain momentum heading into playoffs.

Their only two Inter-Ac losses come to the two teams ahead of them in the standings, Episcopal Academy and Springside Chestnut Hill. However, the Irish aren’t far behind and competed in tight games with the Churchwomen and Blue Devils.

Just in case the Inter-Ac didn’t have enough future Big 10 soccer players, Rutgers commit Audrey Cain continues to prove herself as one of the league’s top players. But it isn’t a one woman show either as junior forward/left-wing Abby Reger has facilitated well this season for the Irish.

“Audrey I think has been one of the best if not the best player in our league,” said Irish coach William Bradley. “And Abby is an integral part of our team and has been scoring goals and making assists for other girls to score.”

Notre Dame vs. Episcopal Academy - PSD Gallery by Aaron Mitchell

Next up, Notre Dame takes on a hot Agnes Irwin team on Friday.

The Agnes Irwin School: 3-3-1 Inter-Ac

Agnes Irwin stands in the middle of the pack in the Inter-Ac, but is a team that is making strides to join the top.

The highlight so far for the Owls this season was shocking Springside Chestnut Hill by tying them 1-1. This was the first time in the last three years that the Blue Devils had surrendered points in the Inter-Ac.

Junior Lily Fusco knew the Owls couldn’t just sit back and let the game come to them, they had to take it.

“I think coming out quick and playing the ball forward helped us,” said Fusco. “We played aggressive and our tactics really helped us… we knew if everyone did their job as planned we could compete.”

The Owls have a young team. In fact, more than half of their roster is new to varsity this year. For Fusco, this means she has to be a great leader and very versatile on the field.

“This season I am moving between three different spots on the field depending on the game and the situation,” said Fusco. “Last season I stepped into the role of goal scorer. I’ve continued that this season and now I am really enjoying scoring as much as assisting.”

Of all the young players on Agnes Irwin, it was eighth grader Gabby Bongiorno that scored against Springside Chestnut Hill.

“[Bongiorno] looks more confident by the day,” said Owls coach Mike Welsh. “I think there is plenty to come from Gabby over the next few years, as she has so much talent. We have only started to scratch the surface, but she has already got crucial goals/assists and is making a big impact on our results.”

Agnes Irwin junior Lily Fusco #14 - PSD Photo by Zamani Feelings

Agnes Irwin vs. Springside Chestnut Hill - PSD Photos by Zamani Feelings

William Penn Charter School: 2-6 Inter-Ac

Penn Charter comes in at 5th place in the Inter-Ac standings midway through the season.

“Half way through our season, we have definitely had our ups and downs,” said Quakers coach Ashley Maher. “We are in an extremely competitive league where you have to play 100 percent for 80 minutes of every game. We have been battling injuries and have not been able to hit our peak yet.”

Despite the ups and downs, the Quakers are getting key contributions from two freshmen outside backs.

“Cassidy McCusker and Carly Lewinski are the unsung heroes of our team,” said Maher. “They both have been battling top notch competition throughout the season and have been standing their ground and keeping us in some games.”

Penn Charter vs. Springside Chestnut Hill - PSD Gallery by Colleen Claggett

The Inter-Ac is in good hands for the following years with a lot of young talent, and Penn Charter will look to lead that trend.

Next up, the Quakers take on Notre Dame at home on Tuesday, October 25.

The Baldwin School: 1-6 Inter-Ac

Baldwin is a team whose best soccer is on the horizon. They have won two of their last three with wins against Penn Charter and The Hill School (non-conference).

While scoring has been a struggle for Baldwin this year, they have netted eight goals in their last three games and are improving on offense.

Baldwin might not have the current record they hoped for, but the team morale and confidence heading into the second half of the season has never wavered.

“These [two] wins were much needed because we lost five consecutive before that and were scoreless in all five of the games,” said Baldwin coach Adrian Cox. “At this moment I am very proud of this team because they are staying mentally tough, working hard and the team spirit and overall attitude is positive.”

One player who has improved a lot individually this season is senior goalkeeper Megan Adelman. Adelman has made it tough on Inter-Ac offenses all season, and is one of the league leaders in saves per game.

“The goalie position is critical in soccer and Megan is playing with a lot of confidence right now,” said Cox. “She is a vocal leader who organizes and motivates the team and is turning into a strong shot stopper. She has good feet and it helps to be able to play back to her to get out of dangerous situations on defense.”

Baldwin vs. Penn Charter - PSD Highlights by Lennie Malmgren

Baldwin vs. Penn Charter - PSD Gallery by Lennie Malmgren

Next up, Baldwin will host Episcopal Academy at home. It should be a low scoring affair, as two talented goalies will take the pitch.

Germantown Academy: 1-7 Inter-Ac

Germantown Academy is currently at the bottom of the standings in the Inter-Ac. Besides a big 3-0 win against Baldwin this season, the Patriots have struggled to defend the league’s talented offenses.

A game to keep an eye on for the Patriots is when they host Notre Dame on October 27. The first time these two teams met, the Patriots lost in a tight one, 3-2. Now with home field advantage, the Irish could be on upset alert thanks to a hungry Germantown Academy team.

(For corrections, stat updates or to submit Inter-Ac GSOC team news, please contact Adam Fine: af718250@sju.edu)