McDonogh duo stands out in loss
Goalie Cadoux finishes with seven saves; Griffin has three goals and two assists
McDonogh teammates Gabbe Cadoux and Brindi Griffin did everything possible to give the South a chance, but the North held on for a 13-11 win Saturday in the 11th Under Armour All-America Lacrosse Game at Johnny Unitas Stadium at Towson University.
Cadoux had seven saves in just under 30 minutes, and Griffin finished with three goals and two assists.
The McDonogh goalie, whose seven saves matched the second most in this series, helped the South stay close in the first half as the North threatened to blow the game open. It took the South 10 minutes to get a shot on goal.
By that time, Cadoux had made three saves, all on close-in shots. The North scored the first two goals, but Cadoux’s saves kept the deficit manageable. The Duke-bound goalie said she knew little about the North’s shooters but relied on her instincts.
“No thinking at all is the easiest thing,” Cadoux said. “It was actually great . ... It was such a privilege to play against great players like that.”
Without Cadoux’s stops, the game could have turned into a rout early.
“She [was] awesome,” Griffin said. “She did so well.”
Griffin helped the South pull closer after the North took a four-goal lead midway through the first half. She scored twice and added an assist, but the North held a 7-4 lead at the break.
Griffin, who is headed to Maryland, said the North’s intense defense, which involved lots of double teams, took time to get accustomed to.
“They played a high-pressure defense,” she said. “It took a little bit to get used to. We had to really adjust to that during the game.”
Griffin converted a free-position shot 3:15 into the second half and then assisted on a goal by Kali Hartshorn 37 seconds later, cutting the North’s lead to 7-6. But the North scored the next two goals, and four of the next six, and never led by fewer than two — despite not scoring for the final 13 minutes.
The momentum kept shifting, but whenever the South made a run, the North stopped it with a timely goal or a short run. The North never trailed.
Katie Hoeg of Mattituck, N.Y., who had three goals and two assists for the victors, earned Most Valuable Player honors.
For the South, Maryland commit Lizzie Colson (Manchester Valley), who was named girls lacrosse All-Metro Player of the Year this spring, had a goal and two assists.
Colson set up the South’s first goal with a pass to Nikki Sliwak, who split a double team and scored at the 10-minute mark. The South tied it at 2 just 1:52 later on a goal by Eva Klaus (Severna Park) off a pass from Savannah Buchanan (McDonogh).
The North took command after that, scoring four straight goals over a period of 3:52. Griffin halted the run when she scored with 12:40 left in the half.
Cadoux came through again, making three more stops as the North kept the pressure on. The North eventually took a 7-3 lead when Emily Hawryschuk scored on a behind-the-back shot with 3:52 left.
Griffin scored her second goal with 44 seconds left in the half, but the North took a 7-4 lead into the break.
The North outshot the South 19-12 in the first half. The South had a number of good scoring chances, but the North’s starting goalie, Asa Goldstock, and defense often frustrated them.
Goldstock made four saves in one half, played aggressively and wasn’t afraid to come out of the goal. She even had an assist, thanks to a good clearing pass. The North’s tight defense also helped Goldstock in the first half, often doubleteaming South players and stopping scoring chances.
Goals: N—Hoeg 3, Hawryschuk 2, Miller 2, Barry, Bruno, Duffy, Kinna, Lloyd, Lynch; S—Griffin 3, Hartshorn 2, Carlson, Colson, Laus, Masinko, Sliwak, Warther. Assists: N—Hoeg 2, Lynch 2, Bruno, Goldstock, Ohlmiller; S—Colson 2, Griffin 2, Buchanan, Cordrey, Harris, Sliwak. Shots: N—30; S—30. Saves: N—Goldstock 4, Krupnick 4; S—Cadoux 7, Cunningham 3. Half: N, 7-4.