Cougars put Patriots away in second
Six points from Hilasbeck leads the attack for NDA
CONCORD >> Facing down a tough Concord-Carlisle team, Notre Dame Academy was able to pull away after a tight first half of play to claim a 10-4 road victory last night in a nonleague contest.
Trailing 5-2 at halftime, Concord-Carlisle (10-4) cut into the lead just 4:05 into the second when Sarah Creamer rocketed one home from 15 yards out.
Notre Dame Academy (14-2) then surged, netting four unanswered goals in under three minutes, jump-started when sophomore Jane Hilsabeck (four goals, two assists) fed freshman Emma Connerty, who whipped it home to make it 5-3 with 18:41 remaining.
The Cougars extended their lead from there, with goals from Reilly Walsh with 16:56 to go, and Alexa Kenney, who netted her second of the night just 41-seconds later.
Hilsabeck struck for her fourth just 20 seconds after that, to make it 9-3 in the blink of an eye.
“We were doing a good job of coming up with the ball,” said NDA head coach Meredith McGinnis. “The biggest difference in that was we were putting the ball in the net.”
Audrey Mirak got one back for the Patriots, making it 9-4 with 10:02 to go, but that was all they could muster, thanks in large part to NDA netminder Raegan White coming up big down the stretch.
“She was huge, she is the backbone of our defense,” McGinnis said. “We needed plays to be made and she made them, she came up big for us.”
White turned aside six of eight Concord-Carlisle shots in the second half to keep NDA ahead.
Siobhan Colin iced the game for the Cougars, scoring with 2:52 to go to make it 10-4.
Hilsabeck started the scoring for Notre Dame 4:05 into the game, before assisting on a goal from Connerty at the 5:16 mark to make it 2-0 early.
Lily Hudner got her first just 48 seconds later to cut it to 2-1, but Hilsabeck got the next one with 8:52 remaining in the half after a long stretch without any scoring.
Hudner then notched her second with 5:18 to go in the first to make it 3-2, but Alexa Kenney put NDA back up two with 2:57 to go.
Just 47 seconds later, Hilsabeck completed the first-half hat trick, making it 5-2 Cougars.