Boccella scores 100th goal

GMA senior makes school history in win over Sacred Heart

LOWER GWYNEDD » Alden Boccella etched her name in the Gwynedd Mercy Academy history books Tuesday afternoon. With 4:17 remaining in the first half against Sacred Heart, Boccella became the first player in school history to score 100 career goals.

“All of the other people before me have gotten, I think, 76 was the total,” Boccella said after the Monarchs 12-0 AACA win on Senior Day at Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School. “I was just like, ‘I have to beat this score.’ I just felt like I had to leave a legacy when I left here.”

“Alden has always been a gamechanger,” GMA coach Alex McMahan said. “The fact that she’s able to score 100 goals from the midfield position, let alone the defensive center-mid position, it’s just such an attribute to her skill and determination. She’s a great player and she’s a huge part of the team.”

The senior entered the game with 98 goals. She put back a rebound for her 99th and carried the ball about 25 yards before blasting a shot to the right of the goalie to hit the century mark.

“It was really fun,” Boccella, a Lafayette College commit, said. “A lot of my teammates were really positive getting into the middle of the game. When I scored my 99th it was just a matter of time when the next one would go in.”

Boccella moved to the left forward position when the Monarchs led, 2-0, and she was still at 98 career goals. She scored her 99th less than 90 seconds after moving up, but waited a bit for to hit the milestone. She had a few chances in front of the net and took a big shot on a penalty corner, but all were turned away before she found the back of the cage.

“I was getting really frus

GENE WALSH — MEDIANEWS GROUP FILE Gwynedd Mercy’s Alden Boccella scored her 100th career goal against Sacred Heart Tuesday.