Gwynedd Mercy uses big 2nd half to beat Mount St. Joseph
LOWER GWYNEDD >> In a sequence telling of the Monarchs’ second-half intensity, Erica DeCandido beat a defender to the ball, delivered a shot that Mount St. Joseph keeper Charlotte Sands could only get a piece of, and then — just to be certain, as the ball rolled towards Mount’s goal, DeCandido finished things off by drilling it into the back of the net.
The goal capped off a dominant second half for Gwynedd, and a well-earned 3-1 victory over previously-unbeaten Mount.
“In the second half, I thought we were all over them,” Monarchs coach Steve Whitby said. “They had to put nine behind the ball, sometimes 10 behind the ball. So
I was proud of the way the girls picked it up. They did not want to lose this game.”
Rallying back from season-opening losses to two tough programs in Archbishop Ryan and Villa Joseph Marie, GMA evened its overall record to 2-2 and now is 1-1 in Catholic Academies League contests.
“We’re starting to get our mojo back now,” Whitby said. “I like that second half. If we can put things together like that, we’re gonna have a lot of success this year.”
After trailing 1-0 at the half, DeCandido knocked one into the left corner with about 27 minutes to go, tying the game at one apiece.
“I knew I could get by my defender, so I just took a couple dribbles and tried to rocket it as hard as I could,” the senior said. “(In the second half), I think we just knew we had to come out and work harder then them. We really had to possess the ball and make (Mount) work to get it.”
Control of the ball led to another key scoring opportunity for the Monarchs, and it was Maggie Cameron who took full advantage, drilling a low ground ball to the far left corner. Sands made a nice attempt to stop the shot, but could only get part of it. Cameron’s attempt found its destination, trickling into the corner for a 2-1 Gwynedd lead with 20 minutes to go.
DeCandido’s second goal with 11:57 to play iced the game for the Monarchs.
“This is huge. After starting off the season with two losses, this is definitely a springboard for the rest of the season,” DeCandido said. “I think we’re playing much better as a team and possessing. We have a really strong group of girls.”
Mount (3-1 overall, 1-1 CAL) had taken a 1-0 lead with 8:17 to go in the first half, as Angela Gervasi knocked one in to the left corner, sneaking it past Monarch keeper Payton Morrissey.
“(GMA’s) always a very tough team, and there’s always a lot of emotion because of the rivalry between schools,” Magic coach Catherine Kulp said.
“(Our girls) are extremely tenacious and they never give up. The defense is pretty strong. We just need to get our shots off when we have the chances.”
Mount travels to Villa Joseph Marie Friday and GMA is at Villa Maria Thursday.
Top Photo: Gwynedd Mercy goal scorer Erica DeCandido (34) center, is congratulated by Rachel Koller (26) and teammates past dejected Mount St. Joseph defender Gabby Good (25) after her tally in second-half action of their contest at Gwynedd Mercy Academy on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2015.
