The Archbishop Carroll girls’ lacrosse team passed every test to complete an undefeated season — together

For the last two decades, Archbishop Carroll High has been a dominant force in the Philadelphia girls’ lacrosse scene.

Under the guidance of coach Lorraine Beers, the Patriots have amassed a streak of 21 straight Philadelphia Catholic League titles and haven’t lost a league game since falling to St. Hubert’s in the 2000 PCL championship. In that time, Carroll also has secured three PIAA state championships.

So when Carroll came from behind to defeat Twin Valley, 10-8, in last Saturday’s PIAA Class 2A girls’ lacrosse championship, it was yet another milestone for a program that has built itself into a national powerhouse. The Patriots are ranked as the No. 7 team in the country by USA Lacrosse Magazine.

The state title victory, which was Carroll’s second straight, also put the exclamation mark on the Patriots’ first undefeated season at 24-0.

“Having that undefeated season was a great milestone that I don’t think anyone at Carroll has had, and I know [Coach] Beers hasn’t,” senior cocaptain Emma Talago said. “It just showed how much our hard work paid off.”

With the Patriots’ history of success under Beers, they’re used to dealing with pressure and high expectations. Entering the season as defending champs added another reason for opposing teams to pay attention.

That didn’t faze Beers and her program, and she had her players focused.

“We definitely had the extra target on our back the whole way,” Beers said. “So, that’s a little crazy, but the kids are super-motivated … I mean, they love it. It’s a sport they love, and you want to do what you love. So, you know, we never talked about it.”

Part of what helped drive this Carroll team to its historic season was its unique blend of players.

The Patriots were led by a senior core headlined by Talago, Kiley Mottice, and Shannon Wood. Talago and Mottice are both committed to play Division I lacrosse at Loyola Maryland and national champion North Carolina, respectively, and Wood is committed to play for Division II Shippensburg.

In addition to a senior class that mostly starred at the attack position and as scorers, Carroll relied on a bevy of underclassmen, specifically at midfield and on defense.

“When things didn’t go well with the star [players] or the attack, then the middies stepped up,” Beers said. “I think the defense just got more solid as we went along, and that really helped us.”

Unlike other nationally ranked high school programs that sit in lacrosse hotbeds like Maryland or Long Island, Carroll doesn’t face a schedule full of deep rosters. As a result, some of its team’s biggest tests come in nonleague contests. This past year, it was in those games that the Patriots’ depth was on full display.

In late April, when Carroll squared off with Notre Dame Preparatory School from Maryland, Talago and Mottice were both face-guarded, forcing the Patriots to turn to their depth.

“Everybody gets a chance to step up at that point,” Beers said. “Everybody is looking to go to goal, and it’s great [to] take the pressure off … It’s a total team effort.

“It made it a lot less stressful in games where things were happening like a face guard or someone just wasn’t able to get open,” Talago said. “Because we’re all confident that anybody can get the ball and go to goal and make it happen.”

Team chemistry, when paired with the team’s on-field success, is what made this season one to remember.

“I just think that’s what made this season so special is just how much love everyone had for each other,” Mottice said. “We weren’t just playing for ourselves. We were playing for each other day in and day out.”

Said Beers: “It’s a different group of girls [each year], so they just bond differently. This was probably one of the happiest groups. … I think that was a hallmark for why we did so well, especially late in games.

“They wanted to be the champs.”