Germantown Academy rallies, bests Germantown Friends in overtime
WHITEMARSH — It was raining, it was cold and Germantown Academy’s girls lacrosse team was trailing by two goals in overtime.
The only thing affecting Meg Westrum, however, was the third item in that statement.
And as time ran down in sudden-death overtime, she did something about it.
After the Patriots had battled back to even the score at 11, Westrum scored in the final 30 seconds of sudden death to give GA a thrilling, and chilling, 12-11 win over Germantown Friends in a 10-bell sparkler Wednesday afternoon.
“Honestly, I wasn’t cold,’ Westrum said. “I just had too much adrenaline to be cold or frustrated.
“It was pretty scary when we went down, 10-8, so to come back and win it was exciting. We believed in each other, and I felt really confident by the end of the game.’
The Patriots, coming off a disappointing loss to Notre Dame Academy in a contest they’d led most of the way, saw the same script writing itself Wednesday.
Leading, 6-4, at halftime, GA was caught and passed by the Tigers, who grabbed an 8-6 lead with 10:00 left in the second half.
Undaunted, the Patriots kept plugging, and goals by Allie Cannon and Ali Crump got it knotted, and into extra time.
The visiting Tigers, who were strong throughout, leaped back to the lead on goals by Greta Meyer and Annie Tyson early in overtime, but goals by Crump, Emily Williams and Belle McMahon pushed the Pats back in front, 11-10.
But with 18 seconds left in the first overtime session, Tyson scored again to send the contest into sudden death.
The two sides came up empty through the first 3:00 sudden-death period, and seemed destined to play well into the night.
But after stifling the Tigers in the midfield, the Patriots pressed the attack, and Westrum fired home the game-winner with 30 seconds left in the second OT period.
“We needed to get over the hump,’ said Patriots first-year head coach Brooke Watson. “This didn’t mean anything in terms of the Inter-Ac (League), but it was big for us.
“After losing to Notre Dame after being ahead, we needed this.’
GA was ahead Wednesday, scoring six unanswered goals after the visitors grabbed a 2-0 lead.
Westrum had two goals in the six-goal run, but the other four goals came from four different goal scorers.
“We feel like we’re more of a team,’ Westrum said. “Everybody is capable of doing something great, we believe in ourselves and the coaches believe in all of us.
“We’re loving the team we have this year.’
Before the first half would expire, however, the Tigers would get goals from Ellie Chalphin and Celia Meyer to cut their deficit in half by the break.
With GA defender Lily Bolen faceguarding the Tigers’ biggest scoring threat, Greta Meyer, the visitors went elsewhere to find scoring, and they got it as Tyson scored twice and Sophie Smith and Chalphin scored to complete their own six-goal run, and took an 8-6 lead with 10:06 left.
But GA wouldn’t wilt as it did Tuesday against Notre Dame.
Instead, the Patriots picked up the pace, overcame two two-goal deficits and came out on top.
“Hey, I didn’t tell our team this, but I looked up (Germantown Friends) on (the website) LaxPower, and they were ranked sixth, and we were ranked 31st,’ Watson crowed, “so I knew how good they are.
“So this win makes us extra proud.’
