By Harry Chaykun
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 4/7/18
Last year, it was an overtime goal and a goal at the end of the second half that gave Episcopal Academy a sweep of its two Inter-Ac League games against Agnes Irwin.
Agnes Irwin’s Emily Wills
At EA Friday night, a goal by Emily Wills at 1:16 of overtime lifted Agnes Irwin to a 12-11 decision over Episcopal Academy as the 10th Checking For Cancer event got off to a rousing start.
The visiting Owls (4-3 overall, 3-0 league) trailed by four goals with seven minutes to play in the first half, were down by three at halftime, then battled back to claim the lead on a goal by Wills 5:52 before the second half ended.
Olivia Dirks got her fifth goal of the game one minute and nine seconds later to pull EA even, then the defenses took over until the half came to a close.
Kacy Hogarth, Grace Bartosh, and Annie Hepburn were among the Agnes Irwin defenders doing solid work, while Episcopal Academy got defensive support from Lauren Rodio, Lindsay Walling, Devon Whitaker, and Phoebe Christos.
Alex Hark came up with the overtime draw control for Agnes Irwin, and the Owls worked to find an opening or gain an advantage on a foul.
“Julieanne Carey passed the ball to me and I was looking for a righty drive,” said Wills, a junior who has committed to Loyola (Baltimore). “Maria Pansini was clearing out (defenders), and I worked for a shooting space (foul).
“When I got fouled again, I just faked high and shot low and then everyone started running at me. I scored a goal in overtime once before, back when I was in the eighth grade. You never forget something like that.”
Wills, with four goals, and Pansini, Hark, and Ellie Kirkpatrick, who all scored twice, led the Agnes Irwin attack as the Owls kept first-year head coach Lauren Wray’s Inter-Ac record perfect.
Wray came to Irwin from Haverford College, where for one year one of her players was Episcopal’s head coach Josie Perri-Tomaino.
“She’s one of the better coaches around,” Wray said. “We were happy to play here tonight, especially with Checking For Cancer and the fact that her husband, Andrew, has had cancer and was recognized at halftime. They’ve gone through a lot in the last year.”
Wray said some changes her team made in the second half turned the game in the Owls’ favor.
“It’s tough playing from behind,” she said. “We took better shots and took better care of the ball.”
Dirks scored five goals and Ally Marino added three for Episcopal Academy, which had lost three games to very talented teams before Friday night’s contest.
“We knew we would be starting over with a new coach this year,” Wills said. “We’re playing with a new mindset and taking each game as it comes along. We were in Virginia during Spring Break and we played well against St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes (9-1).
“We know we have some tough nonleague games coming up as well as the rest of our league games. And we know we have to see (EA) again on our field. We’re happy to have come back to win this game.”
Agnes Irwin 12, Episcopal Academy 11
Agnes Irwin 5 6 1 – 12
Episcopal Academy 8 3 – 11
Agnes Irwin: Emily Wills 4G, Alex Hark 2G, Maria Pansini 2G, Ellie Kirkpatrick 2G, Kacy Hogarth 1G 1A, Julianne Carey 1G.
Episcopal Academy: Olivia Dirks 5G, Ally Marino 3G, Ali McHugh 1G 1A, Katie Crager 1G 1A, Caroline Burt 1G.
Saves: Camilla Gowen (AI) 10, Tess McMullin (EA) 9.
Checking for Cancer
Today’s schedule
Boys – St. Anthony’s (NY) at Haverford School, Sabol Field, 11 a.m.
Boys – JV -La Salle at Haverford School, Sabol Field, 1 p.m.
Boys – Garden City (NY) vs. Bellevue (WA) at Episcopal Academy (Stadium), 11 a.m.
Boys – Penn Charter vs. St. Joseph’s Prep at Shipley Farm Field 1, noon
Boys – Harriton at Shipley School at Farm Field, 2 p.m.
Girls – Springside Chestnut Hill Academy at Shipley School, Farm Field 3, noon
Girls – Merion Mercy vs. Baldwin School, Shipley Farm Field 3, 2 p.m.
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