Gerstell girls lacrosse tops St. John’s Catholic Prep, 14-4, for IAAM B Conference championship
Gerstell got out to a fast start and dominated on draws to topple defending champion St. John's for the IAAM B Conference championship.
For two years, the Gerstell girls lacrosse team had annoyingly little to cheer about in the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland. Playing in the stacked A Conference, widely considered the nation’s strongest league, the Falcons went 0-27 in league play.
On Saturday, however, the education from that experience coupled with a drop to the B Conference helped propel Gerstell to the highest of highs.
Sophomore Piper Gallagher and junior Sara Fenwick each scored four goals, and junior Addison McIlvain dominated draws, as the Falcons topped defending champion St. John’s Catholic Prep, 14-4, to earn the IAAM B Conference championship, giving the program its first-ever title.
“That experience … you want to be sharpened by steel,” Falcons coach Dave Kennedy said. “That’s what you want … you want to play the best to get better. It’s hard to take your lumps, but I think they went through it with grace and came out stronger. … I think it’s something that the school can really be proud of. They’ve worked hard and kept a positive attitude through a couple of tough seasons.”
Gerstell (14-4) ended its season unbeaten against B Conference competition, outscoring those opponents 166-41. Among those triumphs were two previous wins against St. John’s by a total of three goals.
The Falcons were missing key players in both those games, and those players, including McIlvain and junior Carter Eberle (1 goal, 1 assist) made a sizable difference in the rematch. Led by McIlvain’s dominant play in the draw circle, Gerstell jumped out to a 6-2 lead by midway through the second quarter, then continued to build its lead throughout the night.
“Honestly, I just think it was the energy the team brought together,” McIlvain said. “Even on the bus, we forgot a speaker so we were just singing and getting the energy going, and that was the biggest difference. … Coach Dave was really saying to just go out there and go as hard as you can for the first quarter and keep that momentum. I think that’s what really set us up for the whole entire game.”
St. John’s (13-6), from Buckeystown in Frederick County, got a pair of goals from senior Addison Scanlon, but never got into a flow offensively.
“We came out very hungry for this win,” Gallagher said. “We came into the B Conference saying, ‘You know, we’re going to grow from this experience. We’re going to go out and strive to do our best no matter what. Try our hardest to work on the things we learned from last year, and I think our seniors really helped us with that, coming out here and being leaders on the field.”
IAAM B Conference Final
Gerstell 14, St. John’s Catholic 4
Goals: SJ-Scanlon 2, Walker, Piccolo; G-Gallagher 4, Fenwick 4, Franks 2, Anderson, W. McIlvain, Eberle, Own goal. Assists: SJ-Piccolo, Tippett, Graham; G-Gallagher, Kennedy, Eberle. Saves: SJ-Eaton 5; G-Reed 2. Half: Gerstell, 8-3.
