Last Thursday's morning rain tapered off in the afternoon, with only the occasional light sprinkle to be felt by the time Mount St. Joseph Academy began a non-league lacrosse match.
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Last Thursday's morning rain tapered off in the afternoon, with only the occasional light sprinkle to be felt by the time Mount St. Joseph Academy began a non-league lacrosse match against visiting Cardinal O'Hara High School.
The host Magic moved up out of an early 1-1 tie to lead 9-5 by halftime, and they went on to win, 17-9. MSJ sophomore Katie Westmoreland deposited a team-high five goals, while junior Maggie Rezza recorded three goals and two assists. As the starter in the center circle, Rezza also had six draw controls.
Becky Cartee-Haring has returned for her second season as Mount St. Joseph's head coach. The captains for the 2023 campaign are seniors Kate Donovan, Sophie Peters, and Annie Shields. Donovan, a midfielder, will go on to play for George Washington University, while Shields, the Mount's goalie, will travel west to USC.
Prior to Thursday's O'Hara game, the Mount had opened its Athletic Association of Catholic Academies season two days earlier with a 15-5 win over, Gwynedd Mercy Academy, 15-5. Donovan and Rezza each rang up four goals in the league debut. Last spring the Magic tied for the AACA championship with Villa Maria, the two teams splitting their home-away series.
Against the O'Hara Lions, Westmoreland converted off of a free position for the first goal of the day. Three minutes in, O'Hara drove through the MSJ defense to tie the match at 1-1. The visitors threatened to take the lead, but Shields made two saves to keep them at bay until her teammates could get the flow of play moving in the other direction.
With a little over five minutes elapsed, the Magic went ahead for good on a goal by junior Amelia Clair that was assisted by freshman Madeline Maszczak. Less than a minute later, Westmoreland reinforced the home team's lead, scoring from the front of the goal off a feed from the right side by Donovan.
Most of the Magic's goals would stem from quick ball movement in the offensive set, while O'Hara scored more often on transition sequences that turned into drives to the cage.
After the Mounties assumed a 6-2 lead, back-to-back O'Hara goals led to a Magic time-out with 7:27 remaining in the first half. The Mount scored three more times over the next few minutes, but right at the end of the half the Lions made good on a free position, setting the halftime tally at 9-5. Westmoreland already had a hat trick, and Clair had two goals.
Clair's freshman sister, Gabby, scored the Magic's final goal of the first half, and she went on to net two more in the second period, ending up with a hat trick.
Donovan saw action in the center circle in the second half and won four draws. She finished with two goals, as did Amelia Clair. Two seniors out of Norwood Fontbonne Academy, Devin Loome and Ava Rossi, each added one goal for the winners.
