The St. Mary’s-Bishop Fenwick rivalry found its way to the CCL Cup Monday evening, as the No. 7 Spartans and No. 2 Crusaders girls soccer teams went toe-to-toe in the CCL quarterfinal at Donaldson Stadium. After the two sides battled to a scoreless tie through the first half, Fenwick was able to net two second-half goals and take home the 2-0 victory.
“It was a typical battle between Fenwick and St. Mary’s,” said Fenwick coach Steve Flaherty. “St. Mary’s really brought its A-game and took it to us. We came out a little rusty in the first half after not practicing for nearly a week, but as the game went on we got more and more settled in.”
Mia Tsaparlis and Ally Mitchell each scored one goal for Fenwick, while Elani Gikas and Keira Morgan each had one assist. Ella Morgan, Jenna Durkin and McKenna Gilligan also played well in the victory, while goalkeeper Claudia Keith notched the shutout in net.
For St. Mary’s, it was a true team effort from top to bottom — starting with senior captains Susannah Cornell, Eliza Brown and Julia Nickolau.
“I couldn’t have asked for more out of the team tonight, they truly played their hearts out,” said St. Mary’s coach Jim Foley. “We really played some unbelievable soccer tonight against an older, more experienced team and we held our own. Unfortunately we couldn’t quite pull out the win, but I can’t tell you how proud I am of the way these girls battled out there.”
St. Mary’s finishes up its season at 7-8-3.
“I think more than anything, the girls and I are just thankful that we were able to get out here and play this season,” said Foley. “Obviously we know that some teams didn’t get to play and we feel terribly for them. We know we’re lucky, and I think that attitude prevailed for the entire season. The girls worked hard all year and were focused from start to finish, and that’s all you can ask for.”
As far as the future goes, it’s looking bright for St. Mary’s.
“There were points in the game tonight where I had four eighth graders and a seventh grader out there on the field, so we’ve got a lot of young talent in the wings,” said Foley. “We’re going to miss the seniors terribly, but it will be exciting to see some of these younger players step into bigger roles next season.”
Fenwick (11-1-2) will take on No. 3 Austin Prep in the CCL Cup semifinal Wednesday (TBA) back at Donaldson Stadium.
“It’s going to be another battle I’m sure, we’re going up against another tough rival who we’re very familiar with,” said Flaherty. “Hopefully we can keep this positive momentum going.”
