Inter-Ac Notebook (4/22)
Photos/Videos: Zamani Feelings, Lennie Malmgren, Marc Narducci & Ryan Nix
By: Marc Narducci
Penn Charter’s Foster Excited to Join Defending National Champs
Aditi Foster was certainly able to adjust quickly to the intense competition in the Inter-Ac. Foster played her first two years at Upper Dublin before transferring last year to Penn Charter. She made a huge impact a year ago and now as a senior is considered one of the top players, not just in the Inter-Ac, but well beyond.
Playing attack, she is often the main object of an opponent’s defense, rarely getting much free open space, but Foster continues to score at an impressive pace.
While the transition has been smooth to playing at Penn Charter, it maybe wasn’t as easy as it looked.
“The Inter-Ac is probably one of the best leagues in the country and it was definitely a big adjustment,” she said. “It’s been so much fun, and it just gets you so ready for college.”
Speaking of college, in July, Foster made a commitment to attend defending NCAA champion Northwestern.
From 2005 through 2012 Northwestern won seven of eight NCAA championships. Last year’s NCAA title was the Wildcats first since 2012. At press time, Northwestern was ranked No. 1 in the Inside Lacrosse/Women’s Coaches Association Top 25 Poll.
One other fact that helped in the recruiting was that Penn Charter coach Colleen Magarity Kelly was a standout player at Northwestern. She graduated in 2011. That season Magarity Kelly was team captain and defensive leader of the national championship team. As a senior, she earned several honors, including begin named to the All-Tournament team for the NCAA championship and was a third-team IWLCA All-American.
Penn Charter senior Aditi Foster #6 - PSD Photo by Zamani Feelings
Foster said that Magarity Kelly, who is also her club coach at HHH Philly Girls Lacrosse Club, was extremely helpful in the recruiting process.
“I always dreamed of playing there and Colleen was such a big inspiration for me, she played there too and had an amazing career there and just the reputation and rich history they have, it is an opportunity I just couldn’t pass up.”
Foster said she chose Northwestern over Boston College.
“It was definitely a hard process, especially with me being at a new school last year a new league,” she said. “Last year, every game we had, was just an opportunity to showcase myself and my teammates and I just tired to take every time, every opportunity I had and keep improving, and in the summer, I was playing so much better just from being around so many great players and all the great competition I played against.”
Aditi Foster talks about making her decision to play for Northwestern next year - PSD Video by Marc Narducci
Foster said she is leaning toward being a business major at Northwestern. And when her playing days are over, there might be a coaching career in line.
“Colleen is probably my biggest role model and I want to do what she’s been doing, just helping out girls get recruited, and club team coaching,” she said. "I definitely want to take the knowledge I learned from her and (assistant coach) Deb (White) and all my great coaches and take that into when I’m older.”
Of course, that is well into the future as there are plenty of goals to score and wins to accumulate as a player both at Penn Charter and beginning next year at Northwestern.
Season-altering win for Agnes Irwin
In the early part of the Inter-Ac season, three-time defending league champion Episcopal Academy was winning convincingly, while Agnes Irwin was to put it mildly, struggling.
Episcopal Academy was 4-0 in Inter-Ac action entering the home game and Agnes Irwin was 1-2.
Last week Agnes Irwin picked an opportune time to play its best game of the season.
The Owls outlasted Episcopal Academy 11-10 in three overtimes.
Some might suggest this was a major upset, but that line of thinking wasn’t coming from Agnes Irwin.
“We kind of had a slow start to the year but we definitely have the talent to compete with them and we played a great game at the right time,” Agnes Irwin coach Lauren Wray said. “The girls played together, and it was a total team effort, and everybody bought into the game plan of defending and attacking their zone.”
Leading the attack was senior Elle Brady, a Villanova commit, who had four goals.
Agnes Irwin vs. Episcopal Academy - Full Game Highlights by PSD's Lennie Malmgren
“She was super-efficient on the offensive end,” Wray said of Brady. “She does a great job of finding some of the gaps in the zone, some of our attackers found her inside and she did a great job of catching and finishing.”
Junior Catie Holmes, a Maryland commit, had three goals, two assists and one ground ball. Holmes also scored the game-winner on an 8-meter shot.
“She is tough off the line and probably has one of the best shots on the team and did a great job,” Wray said.
Junior North Carolina commit Mairyn Dwyer added two goals, five draw controls, one caused turnover and one ground ball. Junior Virginia commit Blair Fox contributed a goal and four draw controls. Junior Boston College commit Caroline Chisholm had one goal, four caused turnovers, four ground balls and five draw controls.
Senior Molly Chorin (Harvard) contributed three assists, while classmate Ella Springer (Johns Hopkins) added two. Junior Maggie Mullen (Richmond) made six saves.
Wray said the entire defense played a great game, anchored by junior Navy commit Emma Tayloe, who had two caused turnovers and a ground ball.
While regulation was naturally intense, multiply it several times when describing the atmosphere in the overtimes.
“In sudden victory, every possession you are playing for the game, and it was 8-9 minutes of some pretty intense lacrosse,” Wray said. “Credit our defense, they came up big and gave the attack the opportunity to finish the game.”
Agnes Irwin vs. Episcopal Academy - PSD Gallery by Lennie Malmgren
More than anything, Wray loved the fight her team showed.
“It was a total team effort, and I was really proud of the girls,” she said. “We had some losses early on and the resiliency of this team to come together and play for each other was impressive.”
Episcopal Academy update
In that loss to Agnes Irwin, Pitt commit Lainey McGonagle had three goals and one assist for Episcopal Academy. Junior Quinn Whitaker (Boston College) had two goals and one assist while senior Sydney Richter (Georgetown) contributed a goal and an assist. Single goals were scored by junior Maura Irish (Notre Dame), Teagan Cook, Sofia Gagliardi and Kate Dente (Princeton). Junior Grace Holland (Boston College) made eight saves.
Episcopal Academy hosts Penn Charter in a key game, 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Earlier this season, EA beat Penn Charter, 12-6.
Penn Charter earns big win over Jersey power
Penn Charter scored an 8-3 victory over one of New Jersey’s top teams, Moorestown. Entering the game, Moorestown was 4-0 and ranked No. 3 in New Jersey by NJ.com. Penn Charter led 5-1 at the half.
Sophomore Molly Dougherty led the way with three goals, two assists, one caused turnover and two draw controls. Senior Grace Walter (William & Mary) added two goals and a ground ball. Single goals were scored by junior Kenighan Mattice (Harvard), sophomore Harbor Campbell and the aforementioned senior Aditi Foster, who also had four draw controls. Sophomore Maeve Magarity contributed 12 saves. Eighth grader Makenna Myers had three ground balls, three draw controls and two caused turnovers.
Penn Charter sophomore Molly Dougherty #5 - PSD Photo by Zamani Feelings
The Quakers ended the week with an 8-3 non-league win over Bishop Shanahan. Penn Charter led 6-1 at halftime.
Walter and Foster each had three goals to lead the scoring, with Campbell and Mattice scoring the other goals.
First Inter-Ac Win for Germantown Academy
Germantown Academy earned its first Inter-Ac win of the season with last week’s 11-7 home victory over the Academy of Notre Dame.
The game was much closer than the final score indicated. GA led 8-7 late in the fourth quarter before putting things away with three goals.
“It was definitely a big confidence boost for us because we had some rough games,” said senior UConn commit Lucia Smigiel, who led the way with five goals. “I think this will kind of flow through into the rest of our season.”
Smigiel also contributed one assist, four ground balls and a draw control.
In addition to Smigiel, senior William & Mary commit Gigi Ippoldo had three goals and one assist. Senior Hadley Harbert scored twice and added an assist. Sophomore Kiki Steffens added a goal and a groundball. Senior Brown commit Cate Luviano had two assists, seven draw controls and six ground balls Senior Maggie Borek (Navy) had two assists, one draw control, one ground ball and one caused turnover.
Junior Sadie Hess was outstanding in goal with 14 saves.
Lucia Smigiel talks about GA's first Inter-Ac win of the season over Notre Dame - PSD Video by Marc Narducci
Germantown Academy vs. Notre Dame - PSD Highlights by Marc Narducci
“Everybody worked so well together, and it was a great win for us,” Germantown Academy coach Diana Shumar said.
On Notre Dame
In the loss to GA, Notre Dame was led by Keira McHugh, who had three goals along with three draw controls and three ground balls. Riley Davis added two goals and an assist. Abby Sims contributed one goal and two assists while Maeve Seeger had one goal, one assist and two ground balls.
Big Week for SCH’s Reilly
Springside Chestnut Hill senior Virginia commit Alex Reilly had yet another big week, with 20 goals in three wins for the Blue Devils.
Reilly began the week by scoring her 200th career goal in a 15-14 overtime win over Notre Dame. She also had seven draw controls, three caused turnovers and four ground balls.
Senior Madison Freeman (Villanova) had four goals, one assist and two draw controls. Classmate Sarah Scollin (Gettysburg) also enjoyed a great all-around game with one goal, four assists, seven draw controls, one caused turnover and one ground ball. Kass Magarity had two goals and one ground ball and Haley Hamsher scored a goal. Senior Maddy Caliendo had four assists and a ground ball. Sophomore Molly McCann made eight saves.
Earlier, in a 21-0 win over Merion Mercy, Reilly scored seven goals and eighth grader Hallie Lima made three saves for her first career shutout.
Springside Chestnut Hill senior Alex Reilly #23 scored her 200th career goal in OT win vs. Notre Dame - PSD Photo by Ryan Nix
Freeman added four goals, two assists, two draw controls and two ground balls. Other two- goal scorers were Caliendo and senior Cortney Neverosky (US Naval Academy), who also added one assist and seven draw controls. Lima made nine saves.