There is a reason why Inter-Ac soccer matches are 80 minutes and not 79 minutes and 39 seconds. 

The Penn Charter Quakers learned this the hard way on Oct. 16, after leading the entire second half 2-1. A pass back to Quaker’s goalkeeper Mia DiBenedetto was intercepted by the Irish and scoring with 20 seconds left in the second half. Neither the Quakers nor Notre Dame would score in overtime, ultimately ending in a draw and interfering with the Quakers’ quest for the Inter-Ac Title. 

“I feel like we had the possession and ball in their half for 90 percent of the game,” Penn Charter head coach Ashley Maher said. “We just couldn’t really find the back of the net today. All the effort was there except for finishing… we missed breakaways, we hit the post… their goalie is so, so good, but we definitely should have put the ball away more.”

Albeck beat her to the ball, and her shot dropped perfectly in between the leaping goalie and the crossbar, as Penn Charter tied the game at one with 29 minutes and change to play in the first half. Penn Charter’s answer came only three and a half minutes after the Irish’s score. 

“It’s not all individual, it’s a whole team,” Albeck said, citing that continued pressure from the forwards led to the first goal. 

For the rest of the first half, the Quakers would pressure Notre Dame on offense, putting together strong runs, threatening crosses in front of goal, and making strong shots on net. 

Tristan Raymond, Parker Maher, Alexis Regan, and Albeck all led the way in creating offensive chances for the Quakers. During the 58th minute, their push for a second goal would be rewarded. After Raymond forced a Quakers corner kick, Albeck took the corner, received a rebound and put an immediate shot on goal which somehow slide through for a Penn Charter two goals to one advantage. 

“Most of our offense is made up of freshman and they click very well together,” Maher said. “We just need to be a little more selfish sometimes… take that extra step towards the goal and find the back of the net instead of going back and playing one more possession.” 

Maher noted that they were working on that and improving each day. 

The Quakers did have many opportunities. While an extremely young team, their offensive unit may be the best in the Inter-Ac. They recorded many great shots and probably should have had a few more on the scoreboard at the end of the match.

“We missed a hundred opportunities on net, so you can’t blame one play,” Maher said.  

For Raymond, she knows the scoring opportunities are there, it is just a matter of executing on them. 

“I do think we played really well up top together; we ping the ball a lot,” Raymond said. “We’re just unlucky with our shots sometimes and that’s just how it goes in soccer.”

While the Quakers would go scoreless for the rest of the 23 minutes, the Irish almost did as well. Notre Dame would tie with the goal with 20 seconds remaining in regulation. 

In overtime, the Quakers would outplay their opponent for both five-minute sessions, but they were unable to squeeze in another goal. 

Defensively, Penn Charter stood tall, especially after letting up the first goal of the match only seven minutes in. The backline and goalkeeping play kept the Quakers in the match, so much so that if they had dropped in intensity, they could easily have been returning to campus with a loss instead of a tie. 

“Defending first is always our mindset,” Mak Meyers said. “Everyone working together to get the ball back and then we all attack together is one of the key things we think about.” 

The Inter-Ac is a unique conference: there are no playoffs at the end of the season. Championships are based on the best record in conference during the regular season. The format really puts into perspective how important every conference game is, and how consequential every finish is. 

“It’s always a learning experience and I don’t think they understand how the league works so far,” Maher said. “There are no playoffs, it’s hard to grasp when you’re not used to that. So I think, coming in, when you need a win and tie, I think they’re going to start learning that every game is a must.”

According to Meyers, the team just has to prove on and continue the trends that have made them so successful this season. 

“I think always having that positive mindset…,” Meyers said. “In the Inter-Ac, literally anything can happen, and we just work hard at practice and focus on the next game.”

A year ago, the Baldwin Bears shocked the Inter-Ac by tying the Agnes Irwin Owls on homecoming. The tie would have a strong impact on where the Owls finished last season in conference.

A year later, Agnes Irwin made sure not to leave any doubt, this time defeating Baldwin 8-0, once again during homecoming. 

“What we stressed upon coming into this game was not making the same mistakes as last year and starting the game off hot, and we saw in the first 10 minutes when we put chances away and controlled the game,” said Agnes Irwin head coach Nam Deshpande. “From there on out, the game was just in our control.”

The Owls listened and converted early and often. 

Less than 90 seconds into the match, Gabby Bongiorno flicked a shot outside the box that just snuck under the crossbar for the first goal of the day, as well as her first goal of the season. Her goal would start the parade of goals to come -- seven more, including six more in the first half alone. 

“We saw the defense kind of dropped and our centerback, Liz King, she saw it early and passed it to me and I just saw my opportunity and took it," Bongiorno said.

In total, the Owls would tally seven goals in the first 28 minutes, averaging a goal every four minutes up until that point. 

And everyone would get involved in the scoring. 

Besides Bongiorno, Davis Bauman, Dylan Ohm, Sophia Burkholder, Bryn Kozloff, and Lyla Sauers scored a goal. Jen Kelly led the way with two goals of her own. 

All goals were assisted as well, as King, Kozloff, Carly Barnes, Sauers, and Ohm all earned an assist. As with her two goals, Kelly led the team in assists as well with two. 

“I feel like our team did a good job possessing in their half and making sure we did not slow down,” Kelly said. “And then keep going and finding those through balls behind the defense and then putting all our chances away.”

Agnes Irwin also stood tall defensively, breaking down any threat Baldwin brought forth on the Owl’s side. Baldwin has a productive offensive group consisting of Bela Ahn, McKayla Hoilett, and Makena Lee, so being able to shut down those three showed how in-sync the backline was for the Owls.

Agnes Irwin used Lindsay Reidenbach in goal for the first half and was able to give freshman goalie Tatum Quinones the second half. 

“In the beginning of the game, we were really focused on making sure we closed all the gaps in the back,” Kelsey Young said. “As the game went on and we got up, we got practice and got comfortable with our position.” 

At halftime, Baldwin’s head coach and Deshpande adjusted the match format for the second half because of the runaway score. Essentially, the head official would keep the time, but it would not go on the scoreboard. They agreed that the next score by the Owls would end the game. 

In the second half Agnes Irwin respectfully did not attack nearly as aggressively, but the team still tried to run offense as best they could. A new situation that they are hardly ever in but are better for having experienced, according to Kelly. 

“It’s a little bit difficult when you are towards the goal and you want to go up and score,” Kelly said. “But I think it’s also important passing the ball, getting your touches… how it is going to be for the other games.”

For much of the second half, the Owls were able to sub in their bench to get playing time. They were able to kick the ball around and still run offense. During the 24th minute, Agnes Irwin would bury a shot in on goal, ending the match at 8-0. 

“Some JV players got some minutes, and it really helped show the amount of depth we have on the team where there was no real drop off; the style of soccer did not change,” Deshpande said. “It gives us an opportunity to show how much Agnes Irwin soccer has grown, not just as a varsity team but as a JV team.”

STANDINGS AS OF 10/24 COURTESY OF INTER-AC ATHLETICS

The explosive offensive execution was certainly new to this Owls team. Agnes Irwin has been able to score at a decent rate this season, but this is the first time they were able to record eight goals in one match. 

For Young, as she and her fellow backliners took care of business defending, it was nice to see the strikers click so often.

“In close games, when we’re getting pressured a lot from the back, we know we can always send that long ball early,” Young said. “It’s fun to watch them play…. They are all really good and really talented, so I love getting to watch it from the back.”

When asked if Deshpande had referred to last year’s outcome leading up to the match, Bongiorno acknowledged he did. 

“The atmosphere for Baldwin on homecoming day is high atmosphere,” Bongiorno said. “They had a lot of fans come watch them, which I think can ultimately really help a team win their game since their energy is so high. So, one of the things we were talking about was bringing the energy from the start, being focused, and not taking this game lightly.”

The win keeps the Owls at third in the Inter-Ac standings. They know at this point that they have to keep winning, while getting help from other teams, when they play Springside Chestnut Hill and Episcopal in order to jump them in the standings. 

With the last few weeks of the season upon us, Deshpande hopes to see his Owls team bring what they did at Baldwin to the rest of their league matches. 

“This game specifically we found our comfort zone; find ways to get different players on the ball, find creative movements to get on the ball, and just that final pass into the final third,” Deshpande said. “Those being the main points we wanted to refine heading into today, we’re hoping to continue to work on that as we get into the final cracks of the season because that’s been the real defining factor.”

*** UPDATE ***

On Oct. 24, Agnes Irwin hosted Notre Dame, beating the Irish 5-0. Freshman Colby Costa, Dylan Ohm, and Brynn Kozloff, with Sophomore Jen Kelly netting two goals. Assists were earned by  Freshman Dylan Ohm (2), Carly Barnes, Junior Claire Balinger, and Sophomore Jen Kelly.  The Owls are now 14-3 on the season and 7-2 in the Inter-Ac.