Lauren Gray (middle) scored two goals and notched two assists.
Bridget Corridon made three clutch saves in the final minutes and seven stops overall.
By Ryan Mink
rmink@digitalsports.comFor Bishop Ireton’s girl’s lacrosse team, this season has been all about beating Good Counsel -- especially after the Falcons beat Ireton on its home field during the regular season.
So Thursday’s Washington Catholic Athletic Conference semifinal game against last year’s conference runner-up Holy Cross was viewed as a pesky roadblock by the Cardinals. That was until Holy Cross took a three-goal lead to open the game.
From that point on, it seemed as if Ireton realized it was in for a fight. The Cardinals responded, winning 11-10 in a game that included seven ties and multiple lead-changes on a goal by Brittany Barnwell with three minutes, 30 seconds remaining.
“I’m just so glad that we got it and that we won the game,” Barnwell said. “It was a tough game. They played just as well as we did.”
The Cardinals (16-3) will get their wish of facing Good Counsel, who beat O’Connell 21-9 in Thursday’s other semifinal to set up Monday’s finals at the University of Maryland. Good Counsel (14-6) will look to win its fifth-straight WCAC title. Ireton has lost in its two finals appearances, coming in 2003 and 2006.
“Our whole goal was to beat Holy Cross so we could get to the Good Counsel game,” Ireton junior Lauren Gray said. “I get shivers thinking about it. It’s one of our toughest games. We’ve worked since November just to beat Good Counsel. It will be a tough one.”
Ireton’s Ashton Hellmuth gave the Cardinals the opening lead, but Holy Cross stormed back to score four straight goals, including two by Grace Dinn, who finished with five goals.
Bishop Ireton coach Cara Hurrin took a timeout to settle her girls. They responded with three straight goals, by Julianne Tela, Gray and Hellmuth respectively, to tie the game less than nine minutes later.
“It actually boosted our team up and made us want to win,” Gray said. “Last game we came out on top and the entire game we lead. This time we had to build ourselves from the bottom up. I’d rather come out with a strong lead and hold it, but it’s more exciting when you think about it.”
From that point on, the game was about as thrilling as one could have asked for, which was expected after the two teams battled to an 11-10 finish on April 24 with Bishop Ireton coming out victorious. They went into Thursday’s halftime tied at 6.
Gray opened the second half by winning the faceoff and scoring in just 13 seconds. It was the first time Ireton took a lead. The two teams traded goals until the score was tied at 10.
Holy Cross, which won the majority of the draw controls, had much of the possession late in the game and seemed to be on the verge of taking a late lead. Ireton’s Barnwell was stripped as she had the ball in the offensive zone but chased down her opponent and took the ball back. Then, with under four minutes to play, she headed straight for the goal.
As Barnwell streaked towards the goal, Hurrin and assistant coach Stephen Tela looked at each other and said Barnwell wasn’t going to pass. Of course, they were right. Without hesitation, Barnwell streaked down the middle of the field and stuffed home the eventual game-winning goal.
“That shows her aggressiveness and her drive,” Hurrin said. “She’s a player. If she gets the ball stripped from her she’ll turn right around and just power you and get the ball back and just drive it down your throat basically.”
Holy Cross had several possessions late in the game, but Ireton junior goalie Bridget Corridon made three key saves in the final minutes to preserve the win. Corridon finished with seven total saves.
“You see your teammates all running towards you, it’s the best feeling ever,” Corridon said of the end-of-the-game celebration. “It’s time for changes in the WCAC.”