TopLaxRecruits.com, Posted 5/13/14
Staff Report

Kelly Mathews had six goals and one assist and Kelly Larkin added four goals and two assists as Bishop Ireton pulled away from Good Counsel, 17-7, for its first Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) girls’ lacrosse championship tonight at the University of Maryland.

Good Counsel (14-6), which has won nine of the last 10 WCAC titles, had defeated Bishop Ireton (17-4), 12-8, on April 8. This game was close at first, but the Cardinals broke it open with a 10-1 run that turned a 4-4 lead into a 14-5 rout.

“These girls are selfless and care about nothing other than helping each other be their best,” said Bishop Ireton coach Rick Sofield. “They are a true team.”

The Cards scored the final three goals of the first half, with two coming in the final 46 seconds. Bishop Ireton scored nine of the first 11 second-half goals to break it open.

Charlotte Sofield added three goals and three assists for the Cards while Kaitlin Luzik, Kate Carney and Kendall Cunningham each had a goal and an assist. Natalie Irwin scored once, Kayla Duperrouzel dished two assists and Olivia Cole made seven saves.

Bishop Ireton benefited from the presence of all their starters. The Cards had several players out with injuries during the regular season.

“We had all of our starters in the championship game, and every single player wanted it so badly,” said sophomore defender Brittany Dolan (Penn State commit). “We worked so hard after loosing to Good Counsel the first time, we didn’t want to have that feeling again.

“Winning the Conference championship has been a team goal for the past 11 months.”

Dolan said the Cards had the momentum after taking the lead late in the first half.

“After winning the first half, we knew we could do it,” she said. “We had to keep up our momentum and keep our heads on straight. We went out and fought even harder in the second half. Draw controls were a big key.”

Dolan said it was hard to describe the feelings of winning the what unofficially is the school’s first conference championship.

“It’s such an incredible feeling, I can’t even describe it,” she said. “All our hard work has paid off. I’ve never won a championship before in my life until now with my team. It’s an experience I’ll never forget

“I’m so proud of everyone, we’ve worked so hard as a team and every single person had an impact on our win.”