LANSDALE, PA- On a beautiful Friday afternoon in Lansdale, Archbishop Carroll snagged a close 7-6 victory over Lansdale Catholic.
The game began one sided in the home-field’s favor. At the end of the first quarter, the Crusaders led 4-0, a dominant performance. But only 7 minutes into the second, Carroll had cut the lead in half with a score of 4-2 going into the intermission.
LANSDALE CATHOLIC vs. ARCHBISHOP CARROLL
Suddenly, the tides turned. Coming out of the half, the Patriots picked up another, trimming the lead to only 1 point. A minute of game time later during an LC possession, a seemingly routine pass from one uncontested player to another sailed towards the center of the field. Carroll recovered, drove down the field, and sure enough, tied the game.
With three minutes left in the third, the Crusaders organized a gorgeous play: #12 Grady Kelly (four goals on the day) stood at the point like a general on the field. Seeing the opening, Kelly took the shot and sunk it, giving LC the lead to finish the third.
Once again the Patriots tied things up with an early goal in the fourth. After some back-and-forth plays, Carroll picked up two more goals, only 13 seconds apart. They now led by two points with four minutes to play.
It wasn't looking good for the Crusaders until they managed to drain a late goal with only 45 seconds remaining. Showing a little life in front of the net in the final moments, the goal that would have sent the game into overtime went wide, wrapping this one up. Carroll grabbed the "W" on the road.
After the game, both coaches shared the same sentiment about their tactics on the field. Even when a team rallies as the Crusaders did in the final minute, the strategy does not alter.
"We don't change, we keep going in the same direction," said Archbishop Carroll head coach Luke Wiles.
"We have a game plan that we try and stick by, and we've got a lot of good leadership so that's a good win for us."
"We play the same game every single minute of every game," said Lansdale Catholic head coach Thomas Nace.
"That's one thing we've really stressed this offseason, controlling the tempo of the game and playing our game for 48 minutes. The guys have tons of heart and tons of hustle.”
“Today was our third consecutive game in three days, unfortunately they ran out of steam at the end, but the strategy never changes,” said Nace.
League play continues as Archbishop Carroll hosts St. Joe's Prep on Friday (4/8).
Lansdale Catholic plays Bonner-Prendergast away on Wednesday (4/6).