RADNOR, PA – The Archbishop Carroll High School girls’ lacrosse team opened its Philadelphia Catholic League (PCL) action on a strong note. The host Patriots dominated the St. Hubert Bambies in a 20-0 shutout on Thursday, April 5, 2018.
“We really used each other in the field,” said junior Amber Germer. “We went after ground balls.”
While every game is a team effort, the girls were about as close as they could possibly be in this particular one. That is because not a single player scored more than once on the afternoon. All 20 goals came from different players.
“We practice hard,” said sophomore Kelli Ann Matey. “It was a total team effort.”
With this outcome, the Patriots remained undefeated on the season. They are off to a fine start after capturing the PCL title for 17 consecutive years. In 2017, they brought home the PIAA AAA state trophy for the first time. The Bambies knew they would have their work cut out going in to their PCL opener considering Carroll’s history.
2018 Carroll vs. St. Hubert
“We’re a decent team,” said head coach Theresa Gorman. “Carroll is what it is.”
The Patriots secured a 6-0 advantage just minutes in to the action prompting the Bambies to take a time out. Alex Cabahug-Almonte, Madison Henry, Katie Detwiler, Matey, Grace Gallagher and Germer accounted for those early goals.
The time out did not make a lot of difference, however, as Carroll tallied goal after goal to extend its lead to 15-0 at halftime. Margeaux Pawelec, Liza Dellarata, Sydney D’Orsogna, Sabrina Narda, Julia Downs and Jess Sulouff all scored before the end of the opening stanza.
“A lot of different people contributed,” said Germer.
Holding on to such a strong surplus, it was time to give other players a chance to come in and contribute. Grace Ewing found the net early in the new half. Freshman Nicole Pawelec who came in late in the first half assisted Fabiana Narda, Karli Dougherty and Carleigh Connors with goals. Nicole Pawelec scored herself off of a feed by Connors for the final score.
The Bambies make an offensive push against Carroll's strong defense - video by Dan McCarty
“We were calling for the ball,” said Nicole Pawelec. “Everyone on the team really worked together. Everyone is really inclusive.”
Goalkeepers Johanna Arevalo and Sophie Kevtan paced the Carroll defense. St. Hubert’s Sophia Trainor was solid on defense in the second half and limited the Patriots to only five goals.
Looking forward, St. Hubert and Archbishop Carroll have a long season ahead in the Catholic League. The Patriots certainly want to reclaim the PCL crown and keep their streak alive.
“I think we’re pretty confident,” said Matey. “If we work hard we’ll get there.”
“It’s going to be really positive with teammates encouraging each other to do their best,” said Nicole Pawelec.