Ferraioli helps Carroll finally break through

RADNOR >> As Madelyn Ferraioli waited in the box for the ball to bound her way, she had plenty of time to ponder what to do when it arrived.

The Archbishop Carroll midfielder snuck a glance at Cardinal O’Hara goalkeeper Kerry Patterson and spared a thought for what Carroll’s other tests of the keeper Wednesday lacked. And when the ball found her, she made the necessary adjustment.

Ferraioli’s goal two minutes before halftime cashed in on Carroll’s sustained pressure, and it booked a 2-0 win over its Catholic League rival.

The ball to junior Ferraioli originated from Mary Tomassetti on the right wing. It meandered through a crowd of bodies, with Juliet Rossetti nicking it into the path of Ferraioli on the edge of the six-yard box. The midfielder finished her chance with a confidence that belied the fact that it was her first varsity goal.

“I looked at the goalie first. The ball was missed by many people, and it finally got to me,” Ferraioli said. “I saw her going low for the save, and I chipped it over her head and got the goal.”

Patterson had already stopped five Carroll shots in the first half, most of them either low or right at her hands. She’d finish with 11 stops on the day. But on the two goals, Carroll patiently picked out spots above the first-year keeper.

“We were hitting it right at her, unfortunately,” said Rossetti, who notched the second goal 13 minutes into the second half. “But we got them in.”

Both teams had chances in a game that remained free-flowing despite the day’s stifling heat. But Carroll had the better of play on balance, thanks in large part to their advantage in midfield. Rosetti, Rachel and Meghan Matey and freshman Paige Mastripolito found time and space in the middle of the pitch to ping balls forward.

That’s how Meghan Matey sprung Rossetti in the 53rd, and there were several other chances that came off that relatively simple blueprint that troubled Patterson.

Underlying that high attacking line is the stability of Carroll’s defense. Grace Gallagher, who stepped into midfield and contributed to the heaping on of pressure in the second half, had to make six saves in goal over the first 40 minutes, but most were on speculative efforts from outside the box. One, a chip from Maura Hendrixson from 35 yards out after her free kick delivery was blocked and rebounded right to her, was smartly punched off the line. But beside that, the rest were routine.

Supporting Gallagher and Claire Boylan (two saves in the second half) were Carroll’s defense pair of Bella Sorrentino and Morgan Rake, which was mostly solid. Sorrentino, the team’s leading scorer last fall with six goals, is particularly sure-footed, and the team’s confidence in her ability liberates the central midfielders to get forward and create chances.

“Bella’s definitely really good at defense,” Meghan Matey said. “She always knows exactly where to go with the ball. She doesn’t make mistakes at all. She knows how to clear the ball out.”

Carroll’s solid spine meant limited touches for O’Hara’s attacking lightning rod, Jenny West, who had to drift out on the wing or increasingly further up the field to gain possession. She had several long-distance looks at goal, but she wasn’t afforded the space to get many clear-cut opportunities, despite her knack for dribbling around defenders.

“It’s hard when we can’t get her the ball because she’s our main player, our go-to player,” Hendrixson said. “We then just try to send it wide to other players.”

Without her, O’Hara (0-2, 0-1) resorted to pushing the ball out to the wings, Emily McGuire’s right side in particular. But the Lions couldn’t make headway against their rival, which starts Carroll on what it hopes is a prosperous trajectory through the Catholic League.

“We started off pretty not so well in our scrimmages,” Ferraioli said, “but now that we’ve won our first official game in the Catholic League, it’s going to start a really good season for us.”