By Harry Chaykun
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/1/18
Episcopal Academy lost its home game with Agnes Irwin last month, dropping a 12-11 overtime decision in the Checking For Cancer contest.
Ally Marino
The rematch at Agnes Irwin was close throughout Tuesday afternoon, but EA scored two of the last three goals and earned a 10-8 decision, handing the Owls (12-5, 8-1) their first Inter-Ac League loss.
The win was the eighth in a row for Episcopal Academy (9-6, 6-1), while Agnes Irwin, which had not lost to an in-state school, saw its six-game winning streak end.
Katie Crager paced the winners with three goals and one assist as well as three draw controls. Olivia Tuma chipped in with a pair of goals and an assist, Ally Marino scored her team’s last two goals, and Olivia Dirks contributed a goal, an assist, and six draw controls.
“Ally plays the full 50 minutes, and she plays a heads-up team game,” EA head coach Josie Ferri Tomaino said. “She scored the game-winners in both of our games against Notre Dame.
“She might not have scored until late today, but she has a way of coming up with big goals.”
Episcopal Academy had a 5-4 halftime lead thanks to two of Crager’s goals and her assist. Natalie Pansini, one of three Agnes Irwin players to get two goals, pulled her team even in the sixth minute of the second half.
Tuma, Devon Whitaker and Crager countered for EA in the next 6½ minutes as the visitors claimed their biggest advantage – three goals.
AI’s Emily Wills, who also scored twice, and Brynn Ammerman cut into the Episcopal lead before Marino converted a feed from Caroline Burt to put Episcopal up by two goals with 9:21 to play.
Just over a minute later, Pansini scored again. That’s when Phoebe Christos, Whitaker, Tuma, and Linsday Walling pulled the EA defense together, and goalie Tess McMullin turned away a couple of challenges.
Episcopal Academy played the last minute of the game up one player after a yellow card violation, and Marino finished off the scoring in the closing seconds.
“Beating Agnes Irwin is huge,” said Marino, who will play next spring at Franklin & Marshall. “It’s a rivalry that starts for us in middle school. And there’s an overlap between players on club teams, which helps add to the rivalry.”
Marino said this game played out differently than the teams’ previous meeting.
“We played our best early in that game, then they came on and won in overtime,” she said. “Today, we weren’t playing together in the first half. After halftime, we came out knowing that if we didn’t play together, we weren’t going to win.
“I know that tomorrow at practice we’ll talk about the things we have to do better and work on them.”
Ferri Tomaino said that her team’s tough non-league schedule is designed to pay dividends in key league contests like Tuesday’s matchup.
“Playing harder games is what will keep making us better,” she said.
Agnes Irwin’s first-year head coach Lauren Wray, who was one of Ferri Tomaino’s coaches at Haverford College, had words of praise for the EA team.
“Give them credit for reacting the way they did when we were trying to take them out of the things they like to do,” Wray said.
“Our offense played well, but we had turnovers (six) that were things we didn’t want to see. We still have some league games to play. Who knows, we may see (EA) again in the playoffs.”
Episcopal Academy 10, Agnes Irwin 8
Episcopal Academy 5 5 – 10
Agnes Irwin 4 4 – 8
EA
Katie Crager 3G 1A
Olivia Tuma 2G 1A
Ally Marino 2G
Olivia Dirks 1G 1A
Olivia Cunningham 1G
Devon Whitaker 1G
Caroline Burt 1A
Tess McMullin (EA) 7
AI
Sydney Wolfington – 2g, 1CT
Emily Wills – 2g, 1DC
Brynn Ammerman – 1g
Kacy Hogarth – 1g, 1GB
Natalie Pansini – 2g, 1a, 4DCs, 1GB
Alex Hark – 2DCs,
Annie Hepburn – 1DC
Maria Pansini – 5GBs
Julianne Carey – 3GBs, 2CT
Emma Macaione – 2GB, 1CT
Brynn Smith – 1GB
Camilla Gowen – 4 saves
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