(PHOTOS & VIDEO BY LENNIE MALMGREN)
BY JEREMY GOODE
SPRINGFIELD, PA--The 21st century has been good to the Archbishop Carroll girl's lacrosse team. It is a program that has won 24 consecutive league championships.
The program has continued to be a powerhouse this decade.
No exaggeration.
Players come and go, and teams are different in personnel and strengths every year, but one thing always stays the same. Carroll is always hoisting the Philadelphia Catholic League championship trophy. Their last loss came in 2019, out of conference. Since that season, Carroll has won over 90 percent of their games, including an undefeated record in conference at 41-0.
Year in and year out, Carroll’s girls’ lacrosse program just… wins. They win at one of the most extreme rates.
The person most responsible for churning out championships each season is head coach Lorraine Beers. Beers is able to differentiate every season with ease. She stressed that it is always different players, different skills, different roles for players, and different tendencies and patterns with every team.
One thing that never changes is the commitment by Beers’ teams. They buy in to the program early. They graduate seniors who go on to play lacrosse at the Division I level. Underclassmen replace the seniors who left, continuing the cycle of winning, moving on to the next level, and repeat.
Beers just loves coaching lacrosse. What may be consistent to Beers in terms of championship is dominance since the turn of the century is more eye-opening for her players, who are part of the team for just a fraction of that history.
“Each year is a different group of girls, so they have not experienced these 25 years of a streak or anything,” Beers said. “So, for them, it’s fun and they work hard.”
Carroll’s dominant program was put to test on Tues., April 29, as two unbeaten PCL teams in Carroll and O’Hara squared off. Carroll passed the test and continued its dominant trend, beating O’Hara on the road, 17-4.
It really is something when a highly anticipated game between two rivals ends in a 13-point blowout. That is the standard Carroll has established for many years. It is not that they beat everyone they play. It is that they tend to do so decisively.
Archbishop Carroll in game vs. Cardinal O'Hara. (Highlights by Lennie Malmgren for PSD)
For a program that seems to have had it figured out for decades, it is still business for all the players. Sure, they celebrate their goals, their accomplishments, and their wins, but they have also been there before. They’re humble in victory but also respect their opponents. Nothing really comes easily for them regardless of the score; they put the work in to put themselves in desirable situations during games.
Highlights by Jeremy Goode
That was the case for their bout at O’Hara. Both teams entered play undefeated in the PCL. Carroll made sure they would remain that way after the game ended.
There never seems to be a consistent rhyme or reason, as O’Hara scored first, 92 seconds into the contest. Carroll then proceeded to go on a nine-goal run. They evenly distributed their goals in the first half, scoring four in both quarters to head to halftime up 8-1.
After O’Hara’s first goal, the ball remained primarily in possession of Carroll.
“They’re great competition, I think it is just working together as a team,” Greta Potten said. “We practice very well what we what to perform in a game, so I think it’s just doing the things we work on in practice and playing together.”
In the second half, Claire Sexton recorded her 100th goal of her high school career. Sexton scored three of Carroll’s total of 17 goals.
More than 10 players on Carroll scored a goal, including Maggie O’Neill, Morgan Wood, and Kallee Clark. Several of Carroll’s starters were pulled with five minutes left in the third quarter.
Greta Potten on Earning a Commanding Win Against Another Undefeated PCL Team
“It was really satisfying once the goals started to go in,” Sexton said. “Their goalie played a great game, but we had to figure out where to shoot so we could make it in and get some goals going.”
Sexton’s assessment on O’Hara’s play in goal was spot-on. Marina Mersch saved nearly 10 shots and kept O’Hara in the game early on, holding Carroll to a slow start.
O’Hara posed several problems against Carroll, as Beers noted that the O’Hara players are “always really strong athletically, have decent stick skills, and have a lot of talented girls on the field that can make things happen.”
Sportsmanship all around. O'Hara celebrates goalie Marina Mersch's unrelenting saves despite loss.
(Photo by Lennie Malmgren for PSD)
Carroll’s Mei Rader stood tall in goal, while also getting solid support from her defenders and middies.
One major advantage Carroll displayed was dominating the draw controls and ground balls. Potten won nearly every draw control. Having most draw controls and ground balls go Carroll’s way was something that is very important for the team.
Claire Sexton on her 100th Goal and the Team Sticking to Their Goals
“In general, it’s just huge. If you can control the draw and smart enough to make use of your shots, then you are in great shape,” Beers said.
For Carroll, it seems like another game that is par for the course. They have high expectations, and they met them for the most part. They do not take winning for granted but know there are some things they could do better, such as executing their shots.
Still, it is hard to nitpick a 17-4 win on the road.
“We put in the work in practice so that way it will pay off in games,” Sexton said. “It’s always worth the work.”
Carroll has a motto this year: Sometimes me, sometimes you, always us. They work as a team together so they can win.
“We’re chasing to push each other to become the best players we can,” Potten said. “Also, the state championship and PCL. We’re all looking forward to that.”
