By Mike
Buchanan
mbuchanan@digitalsports.com
Upstart Archbishop Spalding has been the surprise team of
the season in the IAAM A Conference this season. The third-place Cavaliers took
their impressive 7-3 record into Bel Air yesterday, looking to test the
unbeaten and top-ranked Patriots.
But there would be no upset on this day, nor even a close
game, as John Carroll made a statement to whatever team might be watching or
listening.
The Patriots outran the visitors and scored 12 unanswered
goals in the opening half. The shell-shocked Cavaliers adjusted at the break
and bounced back with a better second half. But the damage had been done and,
despite a 4-4 draw in that final half, John Carroll posted a 16-4 win.
JC's fast and efficient offense was too much for the
Spalding defense to handle, as the Patriots used their team speed to beat the
Cavs in transition. Stick-work and passing were also instrumental, as the
Patriots registered 15 assists on 16 goals.
Coach Krystin Porcella's JC team improved to 10-0 in the
league and 13-0 overall. Spalding dropped to 7-4 and 11-4, and dropped to
fourth, a half game behind Severn (6-3).
Senior midfielder Ally Carey led the Patriots with six
goals and two assists, for an eight-point afternoon. Fellow senior Casey
Ancarrow scored four and assisted on three, and yet another senior, Grace Gaeng
dished out three assists and scored once. Freshman Annie Thomas added two
goals. Lauren McGehee notched four saves and Lisa Barnaby had three, as the
pair split time in goal.
Every time that Spalding has scored double-digit goals
this season, it has won. Every time the Cavaliers have scored in single digits,
they have lost. Unfortunately for Coach Moira Leavitt and her players, Monday's
was a single-digit outing, as they could only muster a season-low four goals on
the JC defense. Morgan Dalton scored two, as did Kirk. But four would not be
nearly enough on a day when the Patriot offense was clicking on all cylinders.
At 10-0, John Carroll needs two more in the win column
this week to complete a perfect regular season. Porcella's squad hosts St. Paul's SG on
Wednesday and travels to St. Mary's on Friday.
Then it's on to play-off time, where the defending league
champs are looking to repeat. If they play the way they did against a solid
Spalding team, the Patriots will be awfully hard to beat.
John
Carroll 16, Archbishop Spalding 4
Goals: AS -
Kirk 2, Dalton
2; JC - Carey 6, Ancarrow 4, Thomas 2, Dashiell, Aburn, Gray, Gaeng. Assists: AS - Morison, Yackus; JC -
Ancarrow 3, Gaeng 3, Carey 2, Aburn 2, Kiriazoglou 2, Thomas. Saves: AS - n/a; JC - McGehee 4,
Barnaby 3.
Half:
JC, 12-0.