BRYN MAWR, PA- On Friday, September 22, Episcopal Academy (4-0 Inter-Ac) traveled to the Baldwin School (1-1-1 Inter-Ac) for a highly anticipated league match-up. Upon entering the game, both squads were undefeated in Inter-Ac play. The Churchwomen were coming in hot off two victories against Germantown Academy and William Penn Charter and the Bears had recently defeated Agnes Irwin.
Highlight Video: Episcopal vs. Baldwin
Episcopal found momentum early in the 25th minute. Anna Salvucci scored off an assist from Lauren Cunningham to put the Churchwomen on the board 1-0. Baldwin answered back with two goals in the first half scored by Alex Loomis and Gia Vicari. Cunningham then scored with 6:44 on the clock to tie it up.
The second half was filled with a great defensive effort by both teams. Salvucci netted an amazing goal for Episcopal off a penalty kick with 18:52 on the clock. Nine minutes later, Vicari was back at it for Baldwin and scored her second goal of the game. The game was tied 3 to 3 until Olivia Dirks stepped up to clinch the victory for Episcopal. Final Score: Episcopal 4 – Baldwin 3.
Throughout the game, each of the goalkeepers did a great job defending the net. Simi Bleznak recorded 12 saves for the Bears and Hannah Moriarty totaled 9 saves for the Churchwomen. Moriarty noted that the hype leading up to this game is what motivated her team to secure the victory.
“I think our biggest motivator was definitely the fact that us (EA) and Baldwin were the only two teams left in the Inter-Ac that were undefeated. So, that definitely gave us the extra motivation that we needed,” said Moriarty.
This year, Episcopal is channeling the team motto “One team, one goal.” The Churchwomen’s chemistry on the field has been very clear this season as EA is currently on a 6-game win streak. Episcopal’s offense was on fire in their most recent 8-2 victory against Academy of Notre Dame. Their offensive attack was led by Raina Kuzemka, who tallied four goals, followed by Lauren Cunningham with two goals and Lauren Rodio and Annie Doig who each scored one.
The Baldwin School is in its third year with head coach Adrian Cox at the helm. Each year, Cox has made it a goal to focus on key aspects of development in order to create a lasting soccer legacy at Baldwin. While the Bears fell shy of defeating Episcopal the first go-around, Cox believes that the game will serve as a learning experience and will motivate his team for the remainder of the season.
“We have a lot of core returning players. This year we can expect a lot of excellence and compete for an Inter-Ac championship,” said Cox. “We played well (vs. EA). We have some things we can work on and it’s still early in the season so we can build off of this result and learn from it…”
EA's Hannah Moriarty addresses her team goals and talks about EA's victory vs. Baldwin
Baldwin's Olivia Dewitt discusses what her team has learned after their tough match against EA
Baldwin's head coach Adrian Cox talks about his goals for the program and his team expectations going forward this season...
Baldwin played Springside Chestnut Hill Academy (5,1,1) on Tuesday. The Bears and Blue Devils ended in double overtime with a 1-1 tie. Alex Loomis scored the sole goal for Baldwin and Maddie Niebish scored for Springside.
Upcoming Inter-Ac Girls’ Soccer Games:
Episcopal Academy will host Conestoga High School Friday at 3:45 before continuing league play against SCHA on October, 3rd.
Baldwin will also host Penn Charter on October 3rd at 4:00PM.
Germantown Academy will travel to Notre Dame Academy on Oct. 3rd for a 4:00PM start. Agnes Irwin’s next league game will be played on Oct. 5th at Radnor Memorial Field against SCHA at 4:00PM.