Photos/Videos: Marc Narducci, Geanine Jamison & Zamani Feelings
By: Marc Narducci
Two from GA go for 100 one after another
PHILADELPHIA – Emma Goodwin was at lunch on Tuesday when the Germantown Academy junior received the biggest of surprises.
She found out she was a 100-goal career scorer.
Some lunch huh?
“My friend at lunch told me I had 100,” Goodwin said. “I didn’t know before that.”
Actually, the total was 101.
Backtrack a little to last Thursday when Germantown Academy beat Upper Dublin, 18-5, with Goodwin scoring five goals.
That put the Dartmouth commit over the century mark, but nobody knew about it at the time.
“I had a feeling I was getting close, but I wasn’t really sure because we had three different coaches in high school, so the score books have gotten kind of mixed around,” Goodwin said. “But yes, it’s definitely exciting.”
Want to add to the excitement?
Germantown Academy senior Mia Raven entered Tuesday’s game at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy needing four goals to record 100 in her career. Keep in mind, Raven’s freshman season was wiped away due to the COVID pandemic.
Raven scored exactly four in Germantown Academy’s 12-9 loss to SCH.
It was a game in which Germantown Academy trailed 5-0 and fought back to within 9-7 before SCH scored three unanswered goals to put the game away.
Raven was honored by her coaches and teammates after the game for scoring the milestone goal. And so was Goodwin.
Two players with 100 goals, not at the same game, but celebrated at the same time due to the unusual circumstances.
One thing that Raven shared in common with Goodwin is that she didn’t exactly know her goal total. Again, it took a friend to fill her in on her own scoring exploits.
“One of my teammates told me on the car ride over to the game that I had 96,” Raven said. “I think it just gave me a little boost of energy to try to hit 100 today.”
What a boost it turned out to be. Raven was all over the field in scoring the four goals.
After the game both teammates posed together for pictures and gave their thoughts on sharing a place in the 100-goal club.
“I think it is definitely cool,” Raven said. “Both of us getting to share that is something really special.”
Germantown Academy senior Mia Raven and junior Emma Goodwin talk about scoring their 100th goals so close together - PSD Video by Marc Narducci
100 goal scorers for Germantown Academy, Emma Goodwin #17 and Mia Raven #25 - PSD Photo by Marc Narducci
Goodwin scored twice against SCH, and then scored six more the next day in an 18-11 win over the Hill School. That boosted her career total to 109.
“It’s definitely very exciting to share this with her,” Goodwin said. “We have played together for a really long time, and I admire her as a player and to share this with her is really special.”
Raven, who will continue her education and lacrosse career at Amherst, had a hat trick against the Hill School, giving her 103 career goals.
Both players have greatly aided each other’s goal total because of the chemistry they have developed on the field.
“We have definitely learned how each other plays,” Goodwin said. “I really admire her as a player in the way she dodges especially, and just working off each other and trying to create opportunities to score.”
They have created plenty of opportunities and it’s a good thing they had friends who knew their exact goal totals, thus seeing both players justly honored for their scoring milestones.
More on GA
Not only did Raven score four times against SCH, but she also had four ground balls and four draw controls. Goodwin added five draw controls to her two-goal effort against SCH.
Junior Lucia Smigiel added two goals, while senior Sarah Marvin scored once and sophomore Sydney Wanner had four draw controls and four ground balls.
In addition to her hat trick against the Hill School, Raven had 13 draw controls. Marvin and junior Maggie Borek each had a hat trick, with Smigiel scoring twice and Wanner adding a goal. Sophomore Sadie Hess had 11 saves.
GA senior Mia Raven #25 also tallied four ground balls and four draw controls vs. SCHA - PSD Photo by Geanine Jamison
Inter-Ac Standings (through games played Thursday May 4)
Episcopal Academy 7-0, 13-3
Agnes Irwin 5-2, 10-2
Springside Chestnut Hill Academy 5-4, 9-5-1
Penn Charter 3-4, 9-7
Germantown Academy 2-4, 10-5
Notre Dame 0-8, 2-11
Another nail-biter for Episcopal Academy
Defending Inter-Ac champion Episcopal Academy is the lone unbeaten team in league play after Tuesday’s 9-8 win over a Penn Charter team that is vastly improved from the beginning of the season. The first time these two teams met, EA won, 13-5.
One of the true unsung heroes on Tuesday was junior Sydney Richter who had one assist, along with four draw controls, five ground ball and two caused turnovers.
The leading scorer was junior Grace McHugh, who had a hat trick. Northwestern commit Lex Ventresca had two goals and one assist. Sophomore Maura Irish had two goals, while classmates Avery Le and Quinn Whitaker each scored a goal. Whitaker also had four draw controls.
The key to the win was definitely our composure,” said Episcopal Academy coach Josie Tomaino. “We were able to stay poised and calm through all the momentum swings over the course of the game. Keeping to the game plan and focusing on our controllables was really huge when the score got tight.”
Ventresca scored the game winner, but the key was the balance.
“We had five different players help us put up nine goals,” Tomaino said. “I think that shows how balanced we are on offense.”
And then there was the defense.
“Grace Holland had a key save in the final minute of the game to keep us from going into OT,” Tomaino said of her goalie who had three saves. “Sydney Richter came up with some tough draw controls, caused turnovers and ground balls.”
Special congratulations to EA senior Lex Ventresca, who was awarded EA's Inter-Ac Athletic Directors Award, which is presented to a senior who demonstrates outstanding leadership & sportsmanship. Ventresca is pictured next to EA athletic director Todd Fairlie and fellow EA senior recipient Aidan McHugh. - Photo courtesy of @EA1785_Athletic
The was EA’s second one-goal Inter-Ac win, with the other a 5-4 victory over Agnes Irwin.
“Coming up on top in tight games really helps to give our kids a big confidence boost moving forward,” Tomaino said. “They know they can execute, even when there’s a lot of pressure. I honestly think they enjoy that level of intensity best.”
Penn Charter keeping it close
Last week we wrote about the cardiac kids at Penn Charter, playing in so many close games. The Quakers as mentioned above, were at it again this week, with Tuesday’s 9-8 loss to Episcopal Academy.
For those keeping score, that was the third straight 9-8 game that Penn Charter has been involved in. The Quakers lost by that score to Germantown Academy, won by that score against Springside Chestnut Hill Academy before another 9-8 game with Episcopal.
Even though Penn Charter is 3-4 in the Inter-Ac, the Quakers should be a threat in the upcoming Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association (PAISAA) tournament.
Penn Charter is the defending state champion, having beaten Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, 8-7 in last year’s championship game.
In Tuesday’s game with Episcopal, junior Aditi Foster had three goals, one assist, six ground balls and seven draw controls.
Senior Gracie Shoup had two goals and one assist. Other goal scorers were Harbor Campbell, Bea Buckley and Ava Diaz, while senior Kayla Joyce, who is headed to Davidson, had 11 saves.
Penn Charter’s Gracie Shoup focused on the present
Penn Charter senior Gracie Shoup says she is excited about playing at the next level and she will take her talents to Ohio State.
Yet Shoup says there will be plenty of time to think about college lacrosse, but not until the high school season concludes.
“I am excited about the future, but right now I am just concentrating on Penn Charter only, I’m not looking ahead to anything,” she said. “I am just trying to focus on my teammates and have huge wins.”
One thing that stands out while watching Shoup play is her athletic ability so it should be no surprise that she was a three-sport participant at Penn Charter, as a member of the soccer and basketball teams.
“I can’t imagine going home from school and not playing a sport,” she said.
Penn Charter senior Gracie Shoup #18 will be playing at Ohio State next season - Photo by Zamani Feelings
Shoup hasn’t had to worry about recruiting for quite some time. She committed to Ohio State in October of her junior year.
“I just like the overall student-athlete experience at Ohio State,” she said.
And as much it will be exciting to play in the Big 10, right now, she is hoping to extend her career at Penn Charter as long as possible.
Romero strong in goal for SCH
In Tuesday’s 12-9 win over Germantown Academy, it was another big game for Springside Chestnut Hill Academy senior goalie Shay Romero. She not only made 10 saves, but several were of the difficult variety.
One could see how much of a boost several of those big saves gave Romero’s teammates.
“I definitely think it helps kick our momentum off,” she said. “After a long defensive set, making a big save just helps keep everyone’s spirts up and sends the momentum back down into the offensive end.”
Romero will take her talents to Division I Siena next season.
SPRINGSIDE CHESTNUT HILL VS. GERMANTOWN ACADEMY - PSD Highlights by Marc Narducci
“I chose Siena because of the coaches, I went up during the summer for a prospect day and the campus was amazing,” Romero said.
Romero has been playing goalie for a long time. She began the sport in the fourth grade playing attack, but quickly decided she would rather stop goals than score them, a decision that SCH is certainly glad she made.
Springside Chestnut Hill Academy senior goalie Shay Romero #33 - PSD Photo by Zamani Feelings
More on SCH
In the aforementioned 12-9 win over Germantown Academy, junior Sarah Scollin had three goals, three assists, two draw controls, two caused turnovers and three ground balls.
Junior Cortney Neverosky, who is a Navy commit, had three goals and one assist. Classmate Alex Reilly, who is headed to Virginia, had two goals, two assists and two draw controls.
Senior Emma Bradbury (Michigan) scored twice and had five draw controls. Junior Maddy Caliendo added five ground balls.
Good week for Agnes Irwin
Agnes Irwin put together a 2-0 week, beating St. Stephens St. Agnes of Virginia, 9-6 and Notre Dame Academy, 14-9.
In the win over St. Stephens St. Agnes, junior Molly Chorin and sophomore Caroline Chisholm each scored twice. Single goals were scored by Mairyn Dwyer, Blair Fox, Rowan Lawrence, Ella Springer and Kelsey Young.
During the win over Notre Dame, Springer and sophomore Catie Holmes each had three goals, while Dwyer and Chorin both added two goals.
Solid effort in defeat
Notre Dame Academy had a competitive effort in the above-mentioned 14-9 loss to Agnes Irwin. Anya Dunn had four goals and one assist while Maeve Seeger had three goals. Cate Fox had a goal and an assist while Keira McHugh had a team-high seven draw controls in addition to one assist, four ground balls and two caused turnovers. Also scoring a goal was Sienna Lavelle. Goalie Erin Sweeney made 10 saves.