SHG (Conn.) Downs Episcopal Academy (Pa.) in East Coast Battle

It is not often that two East Coast powerhouses meet at a neutral site and battle it out. But such was the case on Friday night when Sacred Heart Greenwich (Conn.) met Episcopal Academy (Pa.) under the lights at Rutgers' Marco Battaglia Practice Complex in Piscataway, New Jersey. And while Episcopal Academy found themselves in the driver's seat early, it was Sacred Heart's ability to stay within striking distance and eventually capitalize late that earned them a hard-fought victory over one of Pennsylvania's top programs, 9-7.   Here are the standouts from Friday night on both sides, players who made their case in front of an audience that may have included Big Ten scouts and coaches.    It took [player_tooltip player_id='70541' first='Maeve' last='Irish'] just one possession to make her presence felt on Friday night. Less than a minute of play.   She caught the ball up top and posted up on the crease, where she is incredibly dangerous. Comfortable attacking either shoulder, Irish spun back left, beat her defender, and rifled a shot into the left corner for the game's first goal.   Irish is shifty and jittery on her feet, and her deep dodge repertoire, combined with her ability to draw the slide, has made her increasingly difficult to defend. She is consistently the most dangerous player on the field.   Despite the loss, Irish turned in an impressive three-goal performance on Friday night. A near lock to play at the Division I level, she certainly did not hurt her cause in front of the coaches and scouts in attendance.     The Sacred Heart Greenwich goalie committee is a strong one. With three Division I-caliber goalies on the varsity roster, Greenwich has perhaps the deepest group between the pipes in the country.   But on Friday night, it was Georgetown commit [player_tooltip player_id='71677' first='Olivia' last='Franco'] who controlled the second half. Against an Episcopal offense that looks to drive and get their shots off close to the cage, Franco was the ideal matchup. She tracks shots out of opposing players' sticks exceptionally well and is agile enough to get down and stop shots coming in low.   Franco is a loud and vocal presence in the net and can consistently be heard quarterbacking the defense, keeping her unit organized. She is confident with the ball in her stick and not afraid to come out of the cage on her saves.   Franco finished with a game-high six saves, and her play down the stretch kept Episcopal at bay and helped Sacred Heart secure a big East Coast win.     Haley Washall is a ball hawk who does not shy away from physicality. A true two-way player, Washall did a little bit of everything for Sacred Heart on both ends of the field on Friday night.   She finished with a team-high three goals, but it was her effectiveness in the draw circle that allowed Sacred Heart to control possession in the second half.   Washall won four draw controls, where her height and physicality make her a matchup nightmare against even the best draw specialists in the country.     [player_tooltip player_id='47023' first='Peyla' last='Carcaterra'] has a lethal shot that even the quickest goalies have a hard time getting in front of. She has a complete offensive game, capable of taking defenders on in a multitude of creative ways. Or she can rip one from distance, which she did for Sacred Heart's first goal of the game, an early equalizer to [player_tooltip player_id='70541' first='Maeve' last='Irish']'s quick start.   She has been described as a natural scorer, one who the game comes easy to. But on Friday night, it was her ability to set up Sacred Heart's offense and find the open player. Carcaterra finished with a game-high four assists, leading the charge against one of the best defenses in the nation. All told, she was involved in or responsible for five of Sacred Heart's nine goals on Friday night.     It is rare to see [player_tooltip player_id='71678' first='Maya' last='Le'] come off the field. She is one of those players who can go the distance, never allowing fatigue to slow her down or take anything off her game. It is part of what has made her such an effective midfielder. She takes pride in being everywhere, and whether it is scoring, securing ground balls, or getting back on defense, she does it all and does it well for the entirety of the game.   On Friday night, Le compiled a goal, a ground ball, and two draw controls. She is a dynamic presence capable of making an impact at any part of the field. Offensively, she is a smart off-ball player who cuts well and gets open for easy shots in front of the net.   Le is an Ivy League commit at the University of Pennsylvania and will play her collegiate lacrosse not far from home. She is the kind of midfielder who can do a little bit of everything, and one who will certainly make her presence felt in the Ivy League in the years to come.

It is not often that two East Coast powerhouses meet at a neutral site and battle it out. But such was the case on Friday night when Sacred Heart Greenwich (Conn.) met Episcopal Academy (Pa.) under the lights at Rutgers' Marco Battaglia Practice Complex in Piscataway, New Jersey. And while Episcopal Academy found themselves in the driver's seat early, it was Sacred Heart's ability to stay within striking distance and eventually capitalize late that earned them a hard-fought victory over one of Pennsylvania's top programs, 9-7.