GA's Goalie Zoe Torrey executes one of her 22 game saves
FORT WASHINGTON, PA- Cold, cloudy and damp about summed up the day as the Patriots hosted Academy of Notre Dame in an Inter-Ac league match-up this past Friday afternoon.
Both teams started out on an even keel with a halftime score of 6-5. The Patriots down by one.
The Irish just coming off a tough 11-14 loss to Episcopal Academy on Wednesday started off a bit slow but seemed to regain their momentum and quickly turned things around in the second half.
“It took us a little bit to wake up. Coming into that second half, I told them they need to show something they have to prove and that’s what they did. They came out hard the way I know they can play,” said Notre Dame head coach Xan Zimatore.
Wake up is exactly what they did…
Despite an outstanding performance by GA’s goalie freshman Zoe Torrey with an incredible 22 saves on the day, the Irish managed to score 8 more times in less than 10 minutes upon returning to the field.
“We knew at half-time, there was a bunch of things we needed to work on so starting in the second half, we really picked up our intensity,” said Notre Dame’s lead scorer and senior captain Caroline Allen.
ND senior captain Caroline Allen talks about her team's second half comeback
Lead scorer of the game ND's Caroline Allen scores quick in second half
GA senior captain Betsy Prezioso makes incredible run and scores
With 2:50 left on the board and a score of 7-14, the Patriots tried to rally back as their defense took possession of the ball.
GA senior attacker captain Betsy Prezioso made an unbelievable run with 1:12 left on the clock scoring an impressive goal.
Junior Defender Lilly Bolen continued the rally with 50 seconds remaining scoring again for GA. The Patriots managed to score yet again with less than 40 seconds left but it wasn’t enough to beat the buzzer as ND claimed the 14-10 victory.
This isn’t the first time the Irish faced GA this season. The two teams played against each other earlier this month with ND winning by 2 goals.
GA's Lilly Bolen scores a rally goal with 50 seconds left on the clock
“Inter-Ac play is really exciting. It’s great that we get to play them twice. They are always a tough opponent and I really appreciate their heart and hustle,” said Zimatore.
Prior to coming to ND as head coach, Zimatore was the assistant coach for Villanova University's women's lacrosse team. A post she held for four years.
Now in her second year at the ND helm, Zimatore is fully aware of the challenges of this league.
“We know that our conference is super competitive, so our goal is to be the top of the Inter-Ac but we know that it will always be a fight with every single team.”
ND's captain Claire Nappi gets the draw and the Irish maintain possession of the ball
Zimatore, said her strategy for her team to remain Inter-Ac ready comes from playing against tough teams throughout the season.
“I scheduled non-league games that would be competitive from out of state such as New Jersey to get us prepared for these games because I do think we play in the most competitive conference in Pennsylvania,” said Zimatore.
Couple that strategy with the return of seniors: Caroline Allen, Laurend Brady, Madison Chermol, Julia Damby and Caroline McHugh, the Irish continue to be a prominent force in the league.
Academy of Notre Dame Stats:
Caroline Allen: 3G, 1A, 2GB, 2ct, 4DC
Julia Dambly: 2G, 1A, 1CT
Claire Nappi: 1G, 6GB, 1CT, 1DC
Kelly Coyle: 2G, 1A, 3Gb, 1DC
Makenzie Irvine: 2G, 2GB
Madison Chermol: 1G, 1A, 1GB
Natalie Hughes: 1G, 3gb, 1Ct
Maggie O'Brien: 2G, 5GB, 2DC
Jackie Lanzalotto: 6 Saves
Germantown Academy Stats:
Betsy Prezioso 5G, 1A, 1DC
Belle McMahon 3DC
Isabelle Jacobs 1DC
Ali Crump 3DC
Olivia Doody 2G, 1DC
Lilly Bolen 3G, 2DC
Zoe Torrey 22 Saves
LOOKING AHEAD: Notre Dame plays host to Penn Charter this Tuesday. Germantown Academy also plays Tuesday on the road against Baldwin.
(Photo gallery: Germantown Academy vs. Academy of Notre Dame)
