Rocca caps comeback as Episcopal Academy wins PAISAA title

POTTSTOWN — Episcopal Academy and Notre Dame seem to find a way to get together when the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association decides it field hockey champion.

The Irish claimed titles with wins over EA in 2011 and 2013, while Episcopal Academy’s 2012 crown came with a win over ND.

While all that was going on, Angela Rocca was playing at Tower Hill School in Wilmington, Del.

“This is my first year at Episcopal, and this is the first time I played in this game,’ Rocca said Saturday after scoring a goal with 40 seconds to play as Episcopal pulled off an amazing comeback and captured a 3-2 decision over Notre Dame in the PAISAA title match at Hill School’s Briggs Cunningham Field.

Notre Dame (12-8-1), the third seed, had suffered a pair of one-sided losses to Episcopal Academy (26-1) during Inter-AC League play. The Irish scored in the first and last minutes of the first half, and as the game entered its 48th minute, they still enjoyed a 2-0 lead.

With 11:47 to play, EA co-captain Christy Palazzese put the finishing touches on her team’s first score at the end of one of Episcopal’s 21 penalty corners. With the clock reading 2:00, top-seeded EA got even as Palazzese got a shot on goal and sophomore Lexi Fischer claimed the ball off the pads of Notre Dame goalie Gabby Carlini and knocked a shot into the back of the cage.

Carlini was strong in the face of so much Episcopal offensive pressure, turning away 15 shots.