Archbishop Carroll girls’ lacrosse sees unbeaten season come to an end in national high school final
The previously unbeaten Patriots lost the title game of the Girls National High School Lacrosse Showcase, 9-8, to Stone Ridge of Maryland.
A month after school let out for summer, the Archbishop Carroll girl’s lacrosse team ran it back one more time at the Girls National High School Lacrosse Showcase (NHSLS) in Columbia, Md. this week. With five games in two games, the Patriots finally wore out in the final, surrendering the title to Stone Ridge (MD) in a devastating 9-8 overtime loss.
Archbishop Carroll had already made history with their 26-0 record and state title this season. The Patriots ended the season ranked No. 19 of all high school programs in the country according to Inside Lacrosse. They are the only Pennsylvania team to make the top 25. At the NHSLS, they had a chance to prove they are one of the best programs in the country and show potential recruits to college scouts.
Of the eight teams invited to the showcase, Archbishop Carroll was only joined by the Agnes Irwin School to represent Pennsylvania. There were also five teams from Maryland and one from Texas to round out the field.
The Patriots swept all three games in the pool round to proceed to the four-team elimination bracket. They were the only team not from Maryland to do so.
Advancing with a 9-5 semifinal win, Archbishop Carroll faced its toughest opponent yet: Stone Ridge. The private school just outside of Washington, DC is known for its athletics with alumni like Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky.
The teams traded goals for most of the game, with the lead never exceeding two goals. The score was knotted at six, seven, and eight in the fourth quarter. A Stone Ridge tally with less than two minutes left in regulation was enough to send the game to an extra period.
Unlike in college lacrosse, an overtime period is not sudden death. Instead a winner is decided on a “sudden victory” overtime of six minutes with the teams changing ends after 3 minutes The Patriots couldn’t come back from a late deficit and took their first defeat of the season, 9-8.
Just 25 miles away, the best lacrosse players in the world are facing off at the Women’s World Championship in Towson, Md. With a whopping 14 athletes with ties to Philadelphia across six national teams, the Archbishop Carroll girls have much to look forward to if they continue on their winning path.
Senior powerhouses Kiley Mottice and Emma Talago will be continuing their lacrosse careers at North Carolina and Loyola, respectively. Shortly after winning the state championship, Mottice was named the Reporter/Times Herald/Montgomery Media Girls Lacrosse Athlete of the Year.
They’re leaving the team in good hands with midfielders like Ava Bleckley, who has already committed to James Madison. With their performance at the showcase, there could be more college commitments to come.
The next NHSLS will take place this fall, on Oct. 23.
» READ MORE: Marie McCool, Emily Parros give U.S. team a local presence at the 2022 World Lacrosse Women’s Championship