Draw controls. Wednesday, St. Anne’s-Belfield lost the first seven. Then the Saints picked it up and came up with several in a row.
But with 12 minutes left, the Saints went cold on the draw and a five-goal lead unraveled as Episcopal surged to a 12-11 victory.
“We couldn’t get one at the end — I don’t know what it was but we couldn’t get a draw,” said St. Anne’s coach Mary Blake. “Winning that draw is huge and they probably won the last six draws.”
STAB, the VISAA’s top-ranked Division II squad, bounced back from an early 3-1 hole to grab a 7-5 lead at halftime on three-straight goals before the break. The Saints carried that momentum into the early stages of the second half and tacked four more goals on to build an 11-6 lead with about 12 minutes to go in the contest.
But after gaining a draw control, Kelly Chandler and Episcopal, the VISAA’s second-ranked Division I team, went to work. Chandler, a Vanderbilt-bound senior, keyed the run with several of her six total goals on the night. The dynamic scorer gave St. Anne’s fits on attack during that stretch as she ramped up her game in the closing minutes.
“She’s so strong but she’s also really dynamic,” said Episcopal coach Jen Fitzpatrick. “When she decides she wants to go to goal, there’s not a whole lot that can stop her.”
When Episcopal tied the game at 11-11 late, STAB finally managed to gain possession but a tough penalty call out in front of the goal went Episcopal’s way. The Maroon raced downfield and Chandler scored again with around three minutes to play.
When Episcopal again gained possession, STAB scrapped while the Maroon tried to melt the clock, and St. Anne’s finally got the ball back with about 20 seconds to play and the ball lodged on the other end. STAB managed to race downfield with a trio of stoppages because of fouls by Episcopal during the closing seconds. The Saints couldn’t come up with the equalizer, however, and time ran out on the comeback attempt.
“I give my kids credit, they kept fighting and we came up with the ball,” Blake said. “That’s the kind of game you like, intensity on both ends by both teams. I thought it was a great high school game. This is such a great challenge for us.”
STAB standout Addi Bolin matched Chandler’s six-goal effort with a six-goal night of her own, handling the bulk of the St. Anne’s offense. STAB got a pair of goals and an assist from Lila Satterfield while Kate McCullough scored two goals of her own.
The Saints’ difficult week continues Friday when they head down I-64 to Richmond to do battle with Collegiate, a squad they edged by a single goal earlier this year.
