Mount lacrosse tames Lions in league opener

Posted 3/25/19

Mount St. Joe senior Liz Meister drives past Sacred Heart’s Dani Santoro. (Photo by Tom Utescher)[/caption] by Tom Utescher In last Friday afternoon’s fickle weather conditions, Mount St. Joseph …

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Mount lacrosse tames Lions in league opener

Posted

Mount St. Joe senior Liz Meister drives past Sacred Heart’s Dani Santoro. (Photo by Tom Utescher)[/caption]

by Tom Utescher

In last Friday afternoon’s fickle weather conditions, Mount St. Joseph Academy eased into the Athletic Association of Catholic Academies lacrosse season by hosting the team from the smallest school in the league – Country Day School of the Sacred Heart.

The Magic rolled to a 19-4 victory over the Lions in the league opener, receiving six goals from sophomore Devon McGarvey, four from freshman Campbell Donovan (a Norwood Fontbonne Academy graduate) and three from senior Liz Meister. Another freshman out of Norwood, Emily Riethmiller, was in goal most of the way for the Mount before she was relieved by sophomore Katie McCallum.

Five seniors graduated from Mount St. Joe’s 2018 team, including a key scorer in Cara Sheedy. In addition, one of last year’s younger starters is no longer at the Mount.

There has been a change in leadership in the MSJ program this spring with new head coach Dipi Bhaya and assistant Archie Alston. Bhaya has decades of coaching experience and has headed both lacrosse and field hockey programs at the collegiate level. She is also familiar with Catholic Academies lacrosse after having coached at Villa Joseph Marie, and has run other high school squads as well.

The two captains that have been selected thus far (others may be added later) are Meister and senior classmate Krista Kushnerick. Meister plans to continue playing lacrosse at High Point University in North Carolina.

New head coach Dipi Bhaya urges on the Mount St. Joseph Magic. (Photo by Tom Utescher)

The team’s third senior, Erica Brocato, was not on hand for last Friday’s AACA debut.

Starting for the Mount along with the other seniors and Donovan, McGarvey and Riethmiller were juniors Brooke Blanche, Margaret Anne Borneman, Lauren Fox and Carrie O’Connor and sophomores Peg Kuffner and Maggie Wooley (another NFA alum). Borneman scored twice against the Lions, and O’Connor and Wooley had one goal apiece.

After the Mount quickly took control of the contest, many players were able to see time off the bench. Junior Kristen O’Connor and freshman Sarah Hughes each scored a goal, and among others seeing action were juniors Blair Bocklet, Anna Murphy and Anna Paz, sophomores Danielle Dodaro and Katie O’Connor and freshmen Molly Amons, Lauren Maher, Lauren O’Malley and Anna Shields.

Wooley opened the scoring 30 seconds into the game, and the Mount would lead the rest of the way. After the hosts built up a 6-0 advantage, the Lions scored back-to-back goals, then the Magic pulled away once more and put the running-clock mercy rule into effect when the score reached 13-3.

It was 17-3 at halftime, and in the second period Mount St. Joe spread out its offense and worked the ball around, only rarely going to goal.

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