BY MARC NARDUCCI

(Photos by Lennie Malmgren,  James Quinn and Geanine Jamison)

Episcopal Academy coach Josie Tomaino had a big decision to make. She was facing a high-powered Agnes Irwin offense in a battle of teams with unbeaten Inter-Ac records and the veteran coach knew she needed to do something to slow down the proficient attack.

So Tomaino decided to move junior midfielder Lainey McGonagle back defensively in the crease, in an attempt to stymie the Agnes Irwin offense.

Needless to say, the move worked. Final score Episcopal Academy 5, Agnes Irwin 4.

On a game played Tuesday before a huge crowd with picture-perfect weather at Agnes Irwin, these two showed why this was a first-place showdown.

“Our defense is a zone, so it is not an individual,” McGonagle said. “We have to play as a team and we win as a team and lose as a team and today we played like a unit, we really played together, and I think that led us to winning a defensive game.”

What was more impressive is that McGonagle had not played that position before. She is usually a defensive midfielder.

Her instincts carried her, and she and her teammates played a strong defensive game.

The tension meter for both teams was awfully high in a game so close, every possession took on great importance.

“It’s definitely a lot of pressure, but you’ve got to take deep breaths, rely on your teammates and put trust in your team that you’ll get it done,” McGonagle said.

It also helps to have a goalie who has a penchant for making big saves.

Sophomore Grace Holland was credited with five saves, with the degree of difficulty high on each.

Holland was a starter on last year’s Inter-Ac champion and despite being a sophomore, is a leader in the back.

One thing that helped her, was going up against her own teammates in practice.

“Throughout the week of practice, whenever I made a good play, it reminded me that if I can do it against my offense, I can do it against another great offense,” Holland said.

And that is exactly what she did.

What this game showed was that the top of the Inter-Ac is talent-laden, which is the norm every season.

Even Agnes Irwin coach Lauren Wray, while disappointed to lose the game, knew that this was a showcase of high school lacrosse at its best.

“Both teams played awesome defense,” Tomaino said.

Still, there were also some big offensive games.

EA senior Lex Ventresca, a Northwestern commit, had two goals, one assist and two draw controls. Single goals were scored by sophomores Avery Le, Kate Dente and Maura Irish, who also had an assist.

The rematch is May 12 at Episcopal Academy and it’s not going out on a limb to suggest the Inter-Ac title could very well be on the line.

Episcopal Academy also scored a 10-6 win over Springside Chestnut Hill Academy and a 20-7 victory over Germantown Academy the past week.

Sophomore Quinn Whitaker led the way with four goals and five caused turnovers. Junior Grace McHugh had a team-high five ground balls. Scoring single goals were Lainey McGonagle, Lex Ventresca, who also had three draw controls, Kate Dente, Maura Irish Avery Le, and Sofia Gagliardi. Grace Holland made five saves.

Episcopal Academy ended its week with a 20-7 win over Germantown Academy on Thursday. Ventresca had four goals, three assists and seven ground balls. McHugh added four goals, one assist and five ground balls. Dente, Irish and Whitaker had three goals apiece. Junior Sydney Richter had a team-high six draw controls.

There are different national rankings for high school girls lacrosse and in the latest Top 25 by USA Lacrosse Magazine, Agnes Irwin was No. 8 and Episcopal Academy was No. 22. In fairness to USA Lacrosse Magazine, these rankings came out on Tuesday before Episcopal’s win over Agnes Irwin. Philadelphia Catholic League power Archbishop Carroll was ranked No. 11. Earlier this season, Agnes Irwin earned a 9-8 win over Archbishop Carroll.

Inter-Ac standings (through games played Thursday April 20)

Episcopal Academy 5-0, 11-2

Agnes Irwin 3-1, 7-1

Springside Chestnut Hill Academy 4-2, 6-2

Germantown Academy 1-3, 7-4

Penn Charter 1-2, 6-5

Notre Dame 0-6, 1-8

For Notre Dame, Anya Dunn scored two goals. Maeve Seeger contributed a goal and four ground balls, while Olivia Drexelius had three ground balls and three caused turnovers.

William Penn Charter didn’t play any Inter-Ac games this past week, but the Quakers did earn a 9-6 non-league victory over the Hill School. Senior goalie Kayla Joyce, a Davidson commit, made eight saves. Junior Aditi Foster had three goals, five draw controls, five ground balls and two caused turnovers. Ava Diaz had two goals. Single goal scorers were Harbor Campbell, Bea Buckley, Grace Walter and Gracie Shoup, the Ohio State commit who also had four assists.

On Thursday, April 27, Springside Chestnut Hill Academy plays host to Penn Charter in a game that based on their previous meeting, should be a tight affair. SCH won at Penn Charter, 9-8 on March 21st.