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GIRLS LAX: Another Inter-Ac Classic and Morale Boosting Victories Highlight This Week’s Inter-Ac Notebook

By Marc Narducci , 04/28/23, 3:30PM EDT

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Photos/Videos: Zamani Feelings, Marc Narducci, James Quinn, Jay Gorodetzer & Ryan Nix 

By: Marc Narducci

PHILADELPHIA -- It was a game that displayed the quality of girls’ lacrosse in the Inter-Ac. Two teams, neither at the top of the standings, but capable of being competitive with any team in the league, showing plenty of talent, fight and determination.

The two had opened their Inter-Ac season with a nail-bitter and had an even more dramatic outcome although the score was the same.

On Thursday, on a day that began overcast and ended with the sun shining, Penn Charter earned a 9-8 overtime win at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy.

The two had opened their Inter-Ac schedule against each other on March 21 and SCH earned a 9-8 win at Penn Charter.

So it doesn’t take a mathematician to realize that in two games, each has won a game, with Penn Charter scoring 17 goals and SCH totaling 17 goals.

Penn Charter vs. Springside Chestnut Hill - PSD Highlights by Marc Narducci:

One other question.

Has any team been involved in as many wild games this year at Penn Charter?

Here have been the last three Inter-Ac games for the Quakers – 8-7 OT win over Agnes Irwin, a 9-8 loss earlier this week to Germantown Academy and now this 9-8 OT thriller.

One Penn Charter parent, prior to the OT against SCH, put things succinctly by saying “My heart can’t take this.”

There may be a few cardiac doctor visits for Penn Charter followers in the future. The Quakers surely make things interesting.

“I told our players they should be grateful to be in opportunities like this,” Penn Charter head coach Colleen Magarity Kelly said after Thursday’s OT win over SCH. “And I told them they will remember these big games, these big moments forever.”

Senior Gracie Shoup certainly will.

With four seconds left in the overtime period, Shoup was fouled, earning an 8-meter shot. She calmly deposited the shot and the celebration began.


William Penn Charter senior Gracie Shoup #18 - Photo by Zamani Feelings

“I have been kind of struggling with my eight meters recently, so I worked on them in practice a lot,” said Shoup, who is an Ohio State commit. “In the GA (Germantown Academy) game I didn’t shoot well from the free position, but today I went up there with confidence, told myself it was going to go in and it did.”

Simple as that right?

No, Shoup made it look easy, capping off a big game. She ended with a hat trick along with one assist and seven draw controls.

Aditi Foster, a junior transfer from Upper Dublin, who has really been coming on strong lately, had four goals, three draw controls and three ground balls. Senior Bea Buckley, a Drexel recruit, added two goals and an assist.

One of the key standouts was freshman goalie Maeve Magarity, who had 13 saves, including some big saves late in regulation that kept the Quakers in the game and a huge save in overtime to give the Quakers the ball back.

Injuries forced her into the lineup and she played like a veteran.

Penn Charter's Gracie Shoup talks about the OT win over SCH - PSD Video by Marc Narducci:

“It’s sentimental for me because it is my niece and it’s good to see her step up in such a big moment,” Magarity Kelly said.

On the other hand, SCH played its collective hearts out. A person who embodied the determination and courage was senior Emma Bradbury, who left the game with 5:58 left in regulation when she suffered a neck injury.

 “I landed on my head, but I’m all good,” she said.

Bradbury proved it by returning at the start of overtime. She finished the game with a hat trick.

“I think this game just shows how competitive the league is,” said Bradbury, who will take her talents to the Big 10 and Michigan. “We’re one of the top leagues in the country and both teams played with grit and heart and I think that emulates the entire Inter-Ac, no matter what team, it is going to be a battle.”

More from Penn Charter

Penn Charter had another huge Inter-Ac win last Friday’s 8-7 overtime victory over Agnes Irwin. That was an Agnes Irwin team that entered the game with just one Inter-Ac loss, a 5-4 defeat to frontrunner Episcopal Academy.

“This game showed that when we play to our potential, we can do good things,” Magarity Kelly said.


Penn Charter notched another huge win in an 8-7 overtime victory over Agnes Irwin on April 21 - Photo by Zamani Feelings

The game-winner was scored by Foster, capping an outstanding game in which she scored five goals, added three assists and three draw controls.

“She has been making a name for herself and is playing at a high level,” Magarity Kelly said of Foster.

The other goal scorers for Penn Charter were Buckley, Shoup and Grace Walter. Senior goalie Kayla Joyce, a Davidson commit, came up big, with 16 saves.

“She has been doing phenomenally,” Magarity Kelly said of Joyce. “She is making a lot of amazing saves and as been doing everything you can ask of a goalie.”

Penn Charter also earned a 15-8 non-league win over Mount Pleasant Academy. Foster had five goals, two assists, four ground balls, two draw controls and one caused turnover in another fine all-around performance.

Buckley had three goals and four assists. Shoup added two goals, five assists and eight draw controls. Ava Diaz contributed two goals and two assists and Bella Toomey had four draw controls.

Penn Charter later fell to Germantown Academy, 9-8. Walter scored a hat trick. Buckley contributed two goals and three assists. Shoup had three assists, along with five draw controls and six ground balls and Joyce made 15 saves.

Inter-Ac standings (through games played Thursday, April 27)

Episcopal Academy 5-0, 11-3

Agnes Irwin 4-2, 8-2

Springside Chestnut Hill Academy 4-4, 6-4-1

Penn Charter 3-3, 9-6

Germantown Academy 2-3, 9-4

Notre Dame 0-6, 2-9

Baldwin with a varsity win

This season Baldwin is not playing a varsity schedule in the Inter-Ac. The Bears have played a JV schedule, but earlier this week, they did have a varsity game, earning a 12-7 victory over Bonner-Prendergast.

Christy Hunt, who was an assistant at Baldwin the last three years, is running the team.

The win over Bonner-Prendie was the first varsity game this season.

“This year it has been a transition for the girls, and I am proud of them,” Hunt said.

Baldwin has 16 girls in the program and some had never played the sport before while others have been playing as long as 10 years. One of those veterans is senior Katie Reed, who has committed to Washington & Lee University to play lacrosse.

Lee led the way in the varsity win with eight goals.

“Katie is very mature, leading the team and helping each team member grow,” Hunt said.

Lauren Halak added two goals. Scoring single goals were Eliza Bryant and Dylan McKeown, while Isabelle Feigenberg recorded an assist.


2023 Baldwin School Lacrosse Team - Photo Courtesy of Baldwin Athletics photographer Jay Gorodetzer


2023 Baldwin School Lacrosse Team - Photo Courtesy of Baldwin Athletics photographer Jay Gorodetzer

Big win for GA

Germantown Academy, which trailed 6-3 at halftime, used a 6-2 second half to defeat Penn Charter, 9-8, in a typically tight Inter-Ac game. Sophomore goalie Sadie Hess made 20 saves for the winning Patriots.

Juniors Maggie Borek and Emma Goodwin and senior Mia Raven each scored twice, with Raven adding four draw controls. Single goal scorers were sophomore Sydney Wanner (who also had five draw controls), junior Lucia Smigiel and senior Sarah Marvin.

The Patriots followed that up with Thursday’s 18-5 win over Upper Dublin.

Goodwin had five goals, Wanner added four, while Marvin scored a hat trick and Raven and Borek each scored twice. Hess made six saves.


Germantown Academy senior Mia Raven #25 - PSD Photo by Ryan Nix

Agnes Irwin back on the winning track

After suffering one-goal losses to Episcopal Academy and Penn Charter, Agnes Irwin got back on the winning track with an 11-7 win over Springside Chestnut Hill Academy.

Junior Molly Chorin, who is a Harvard commit, had five goals, two assists and one draw control. Mairyn Dwyer and Catie Holmes each scored twice.

The other goal scorers were Hunter Fleitas and Ella Springer, who also had three ground balls. Goalie Maggie Mullen made six saves and KK Lerch had an assist, two caused turnovers and two ground balls.

SCH update

Two players scored all the goals for Springside Chestnut Hill Academy in the above-mentioned 11-7 loss to Agnes Irwin.


Madison Freeman #13 scored 4 times in 11-7 loss vs. Agnes Irwin - PSD Photo by James Quinn

Madison Freeman scored four times, while Bradbury added a hat trick along with earning seven draw controls.

SCH had an earlier 7-7 draw with Manheim Township. (There was no overtime due to the weather). Bradbury had four goals, three draw controls and four ground balls. The other goal scorers were Sarah Scollin, Alex Reilly, who had lad two assists and four draw controls and Cortney Neverosky, who also contributed four ground ball. Senior Shay Romero made 15 saves giving her 100 for her career.

Coming attraction

On Tuesday, Episcopal Academy, the only team unbeaten in Inter-Ac play, visits Penn Charter at 3:30. Episcopal earned a 13-5 home win over Penn Charter on April 6, but as stated above, the Quakers are playing much better and this expects to be a much more competitive game.

EA falls to Jersey’s best

Episcopal Academy ended last week with a 9-4 loss to Summit, which entered the matchup as the No. 1 team in New Jersey according to NJ.com.

Sophomores Kate Dente and Quinn Whitaker each had two goals for EA. Whitaker, among the top players in the area, also had four draw controls, five ground balls and three caused turnovers. Playing this type of competition is bound to help Episcopal Academy in the long run.