PHILADELPHIA-- The last time the Episcopal Academy Churchwomen lost to an Inter-Ac soccer opponent was on November 16, 2022, against the Springside Chestnut Hill Academy Blue Devils during the PAISAA Championship. 685 days later, the same school that beat Episcopal in the state championship would snap the Churchwomen’s Inter-Ac win streak, as the Blue Devils defeated the Churchwomen at home 1-0, on Oct. 1, 2024.
“We’re all super hype to win against a super good team and a team that won the Inter-Ac last year,” SCH goalie Gracyn Lee-Torchiana said. “We’re so excited to prove ourselves and to come back after losing to them last…. It’s a really good feeling.”
After a scoreless first half, Episcopal came out firing offensively, adjusting by more physical play, winning more 50/50 balls, and getting solid shots on goal. The Churchwomen enjoyed more possession time and shots on goal in the first half, but a change in attitude early in the second half suggested it was a matter of time before they would add a goal.
Oddly enough, that goal would not come.
Springside Chestnut Hill in game vs. Episcopal Academy on 10/1 (photo/ Jeremy Goode for PSD)
Instead, nearly 10 minutes into the second half, SCH senior forward Zarin DeVeaux took the ball on Episcopal’s half of the field after Cali Smith took the ball from EA and fed the ball to Ryleigh Bakley, eventually getting it to DeVeaux who drove down the inner left side of the field and shot across the goal, scoring on the right side of the net with her left foot and giving the Blue Devils a 1-0 advantage.
It would be the only goal of the afternoon.
“I noticed that the left side of the field was open; no one on me, [I] backed out, and made the run and had to make sure I really called for that ball to let her know I was there for her,” DeVeaux said.
The goal came in a timely fashion in more ways than one. Besides taking the lead and putting pressure on the Churchwomen, DeVeaux got into the scoring column for the season. This was her first goal in the Inter-Ac, after she had two could-have-been goals which bounced off the post against Penn Charter the previous Saturday.
Zarin DeVeaux talks about her game winning goal. (Video/ Jeremy Goode for PSD)
Gracyn Lee-Torchiana was Thrilled about the win against EA. (Video/ Jeremy Goode for PSD)
SCH would have their hands full throughout the 80 minutes of competition. The Churchwomen were undefeated heading into the match, posting a 8-0-1 record. Episcopal goalkeeper Lauren Creamer, who has committed to attend The Catholic University of America, had five shutouts coming into the Springside Chestnut Hill game.
Other Episcopal stars include senior forward Maya Bright, a University of Pittsburgh commit, who has been next to impossible to guard and contain in front of the net. Same with Fairfield University commit Bridget Dempsey. Same with Quinn Whitaker, another senior and duel sport athlete who will be playing lacrosse at Boston College.
And that is not to mention the rest of the talented roster Episcopal possesses.
The SCH Blue Devils’ Jolie Kaoma and Ella Thomson were assigned to keep Bright and her supporting cast in check.
They would.
It was the first time all season in which the Churchwomen did not score. Coming into the game, Episcopal was averaging three goals per contest. The shutout pushes the average down to 2.7 goals per match.
Commenting on SCH’s defense against the talented Episcopal squad, especially including Bright, Kaoma broke down their defensive approach.
SPringside Chestnut HIll Academy vs. Episcopal Academy Highlights by Jeremy Goode for PSD
Jolie Kaoma talks about how defense played major role in game. (Video/ Jeremy Goode for PSD)
“I know she is fast, that’s one of her strengths,” Kaoma said. “So I was really trying to catchup with her, making sure she did not get past me… kind of just staying on her; making sure she did not get the ball.”
Thomson knew from the previous year the threat Episcopal posed, and knew it would take a lot of preparation and in-game effort to knock off the defending champions.
“My mindset going in was win every tackle,” Thomson said. “That’s what the whole backline’s mindset was, so we went out there and did that. It is hard mentally but we all stayed in it and fought until the end."
The Blue Devils’ defensive efforts would work. Whatever did get past the backline, Lee-Torchiana would wrap up in goal. She finished with eight saves.
“I think I played well today and especially thought I did well at distributing,” Lee-Torchiana said. “A big thing for my team is building out of the back and I think that’s why we’re so successful. I definitely thought I played well playing with my defenders and getting the ball out of the back on long kicks.”
Of course, this was not a perfect David and Goliath comparison; after all, the SCH Blue Devils tied for second place in the Inter-Ac last season after winning the conference and state tournament the year before that.
But to go nearly two years without losing in the Inter-Ac, as Episcopal did…? Anytime that streak is broken, it will always be newsworthy regardless of the team that snapped the win streak.
In some ways, the result just makes sense. Episcopal has not won at Springside Chestnut Hill in years. Last year, the year in which the Churchwomen won the conference and states, they would tie SCH at their facility.
Ella Thomson knew going in would be a hard-fought match against EA. (video/ Jeremy GOode for PSD)
Springside Chestnut Hill in game vs. Episcopal Academy. Game highlights by Jeremy Goode for PSD
“This is our field,” DeVeaux said. “We practice on here, we play on here, we know how it works; we know how to connect with each other. So, being on our home field is definitely an advantage, but we have to take our energy and momentum for when we play them next in their field.”
The win improves the Blue Devils’ record to 7-2 and 2-0 in the Inter-Ac. Even with the win, SCH knows it is a long season ahead and will have to take care of business against the rest of the league if they want to get to where they want to be, as in 2022; Inter-Ac champions.
“I think we are pretty confident,” Kaoma said. “I think our biggest challenge will be beating Agnes Irwin. Now that we know we can do this, we know we can do anything.”