Keating, Burnetta team up to power Agnes Irwin at Katie Samson Festival
RADNOR — Agnes Irwin juniors Hannah Keating and Kristin Burnetta do things together on and off the lacrosse field.
Both are excellent soccer players, both have committed to Harvard University, and the two work together well on the lacrosse field.
Keating scored five goals, with three assisted by Burnetta, who chipped in with three goals, as Agnes Irwin defeated Garnet Valley, 15-12, at the Katie Samson Lacrosse Festival at Radnor High Saturday.
The victory was the sixth in a row for the Owls (13-1), while the Jaguars (8-5) had a four-game winning streak halted. Agnes Irwin had a 9-3 lead at halftime and built its advantage to eight goals (13-5) with 13 minutes to play before Garnet Valley got seven of the next eight scores to make things interesting down the stretch.
With her team up 14-12, Burnetta put the finishing touches on the AI decision with a goal with 45 seconds remaining. She preferred to talk about what it takes for her teammates to get goals.
“I get just as much satisfaction in helping someone like Hannah score than in scoring myself,’ Burnetta said. “We go for the fast passes and hitting the open girl. And Hannah and I know what to expect from one another.’
Keating went on a four-goal run in the opening half that gave the Owls a 6-2 lead.
“A lot of times we’ll stay after practice to work on things like back door cuts and cutting off each other,’ she said. “Today we knew we were playing the defending (PIAA) champion, and that was motivation for us.
“We lost some of our momentum, and we know that we have to keep on working on playing the whole 50 minutes of every game.’
Agnes Irwin head coach Jen Duckenfield found some things to be happy about and some things to be disappointed in with the game.
“Our girls do work together, which is why so many of our goals are assisted,’ she said. “We’re young, but we have 10 players who will be going on to play in Division I. Garnet Valley did a great job of not losing its intensity.
“I was just disappointed with the way the refs dictated the flow of the game. There were so many whistles, and so many of their goals came on 8-meter shots. We got called for 42 fouls, and on average we only have about 18 fouls a game.’
Freshman Kamryn McNeal scored four goals and junior Emily Mathewson added three for Garnet Valley, which hosts Central League leader Conestoga Tuesday night.
“I was disappointed in the way we played the second half of the first half,’ GV head coach Jenny Purvis said. “But I was happy with the way we came back in the second half. The girls just didn’t have any quit in them.
“We’re happy we have a schedule where we play teams like (Agnes Irwin). It certainly will help us get ready for the playoffs.’
In other Katie Samson Festival action:
