Fannon Field Renovations underway

Posted on 30 May 2014 by wsimmons. Tags: Bishop Ireton Cardinals, Bishop Ireton High School, Fannon Field

After cutting the field, machines rolled and stacked the old turf, then the orange-colored padding. Everything will be removed and recycled in Pennsylvania.

Bishop Ireton is getting a make over of Fannon Field after 11 years of AstroPlay 2000 artificial turf serving the school’s physical education and athletic departments needs. The Diocese of Arlington signed the contract with FieldTurf on Friday, May 23rd, completing two years of planning and evaluations.

With a great deal of work behind the scenes, head of school, Dr. Tom Curry and the Ireton Board of Governors secured the funding an eventual approval for the $425,000 project. Work began almost immediately as workers removed the AstroTurf and supporting padding within 24 hours of arriving on site.

In the weeks ahead, workers will laser grade the stone base to ensure the smooth flow of water into the drainage system and completely level surface for the numerous activities hosted on the facility. The Cardinals soon will play on FieldTurf’s premier turf product, Revolution. The 2.25 inch fiber will be supported by 8.2 pounds per square inch of crumb rubber and sand infill, making it a firm, fast field, yet safe for athletics and physical education.

The Cardinals’ new pitch will feature inlaid lines for field hockey, soccer, boys’ and girls’ lacrosse as well as football. It will feature the School’s athletic logo in the center of the field, with cardinal red football end zones adorned with athletic gold lettering, BISHOP IRETON in the west end zone and CARDINALS in the east end zone. A safety screening system will be added behind each end zone to provide additional protection to the runners on the track in the spring while simultaneously conducting lacrosse practices on the field.

Industry standards for artificial turf suggest a 7-10 year lifespan. Bishop Ireton nursed 11 years of near constant activity out of their AstroTurf product before UV rays of the sun and the heavy usage finally produced widespread fiber failure on the turf.

With the demolition completed, crews will prepare the subsurface for the installation of the “carpet”. Tentatively scheduled for Monday, June 9th is the arrival of the field itself as well as the crew to begin installation. Completion of the project is set for June 21st, with the Cardinals welcoming the first week of campers on Monday, June 23rd. Coach of the Year, Rick Sofield will host the Cardinals’ girls lacrosse camp that week.

See the time lapsed video of how the field removed on a rainy Thursday in Alexandria. http://youtu.be/iJ7xKZ_lMhM

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Alexandria Sportsman’s Club 2014 Awards Banquet honors five Cardinals

Posted on 30 May 2014 by pullano. Tags: Adrienne Maday, alexandria sportsman's Club, Audrey Sisel, Charlotte Sofield, Hayley Snell, Stephanie Cabrera

Awarded Player's of the Year Bishop Ireton, Episcopal, St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes School and TC Williams High School once again gathered for the Alexandria Sportsman’s Club annual awards gala for the City’s high school athletes at the Westin Hotel in Alexandria. The Alexandria Sportsman’s Club was founded in 1947. They support our local high school athletics by recognizing student-athletes and their achievements on the field and in the classroom. Each year the Alexandria Sportsman’s Club hosts an awards banquet that honors our young student-athletes from the Alexandria area. At this year’s 59^th annual Alexandria Sportsman’s Club banquet we were honored to have guest speaker Paul Hewitt. Coach Hewitt is one of the most well respected coaches in college basketball. He was the head coach of the men’s basketball team at Georgia Tech for 11 years. He is now the current head coach at George Madison University and has been there since 2011. Paul Hewitt is a phenomenal leader and a great coach; this was made apparent while listening to him speak at the banquet on Thursday May 29^th, 2014.

27 of the Port City’s top student-athletes were recognized at this year’s annual high school awards banquet and of the 27 student-athletes recognized were 5 of our very own Bishop Ireton Athletes. Our athletes excelled and dominated this year on and off the field. We are proud and honored to recognize them as this year’s players of the year. This year’s Alexandria Sportsman’s Club award winners from Bishop Ireton High School include:

Stephanie Carbrera (Volleyball)

Stephanie Cabrera was awarded as our 2013-2014 Volleyball Player of the Year. She is a three-year varsity player and a second, All-WCAC honoree for the 2013 campaign. For the last two years Stephanie has exhibited her leadership off the court by organizing our ****** cancer awareness service project and being a strong student in the classroom earning a 3.7 GPA. She showed her leadership on the court this year and led the Cardinals with 47 service aces in the fall season as well as recorded 267 kills.

Adrienne Maday (Soccer)

Adrienne Maday was awarded as our 2013-2014 Girls’ Soccer Player of the Year. As a senior, Adrienne was captain of our 2013 Cardinals, who were ranked in the top 10 of the Washington Post this past year. Adrienne is an attacking center midfielder who was recognized as player of the year in 2013 and selected first team All Met in the Washington Post. Adrienne tallied nine assist and came in clutch scoring three game-winners for the Cardinals in her senior campaign. Maday has a 4.1 GPA and will play soccer for the Tribe at William & Mary next fall. This past year she has given back to the community by volunteered at a local retirement home and worked with the United Community Ministries in their food pantry.

Audrey Sisel (Crew)

Audrey Sisel was awarded as our 2013-2014 Girls’ Crew Rower of the Year. Audrey is a four-year rower who rows both sides and sculls. She has been in positions of leadership on the Cardinals team for two years. Audrey has seat raced herself to be the fastest Starboard on our team and is the ultimate competitor. She has earned a scholarship to Creighton University and will be continuing her athletic pursuits there rowing against NCAA Division 1 competition as a Blue Jay.

Charlotte Sofield (Lacrosse)

Charlotte Sofield was awarded as our 2013-2014 Lacrosse Player of the Year. Charlotte is a three-time all WCAC performer for the Cardinals. She is third on the team in scoring with 39 goals and leads the squad with 46 assists. Sofield was described in the September edition of Inside Lacrosse as the number 1 junior lacrosse player in the United States. She has committed to play for the Tar Heels of North Carolina in the year of 2016. The WCAC has selected her as its player of the year as a junior and to their first-team, All Conference squad. She was selected to the All-State teams her first two years and undoubtedly will be selected again this year. Charlotte does not only excel on the field, but also in the classroom as strong student with a 3.6 GPA

Hayley Snell (Swimming)

Hayley Snell was award as our 2013-2014 Girls’ Swimmer of the Year. Hayley has had an impressive junior season. She is a key member of our Washington Metropolitan Private School Swim and Dive League (WMPSSDL) and Virginia Independent School Athletic Association (VISAA) relay champions. On an individual level she scored 82 points through seven 1^st place finishes and five 2^nd place finishes in dual meet competition. She is the reigning 2014 Alexandria Tri City Meet Champion in the 100 Meter Backstroke in addition to representing the Cardinals as a finalist in the 50 Yard Free and 100 Yard Back at Conference. As a Cardinal she swept the sprint free style events (50/100) against rival foes PVI and DJO head to head. Never the less her true spirit and example gave rise to her squad extending their undefeated team title streak at the City Champs over SSSA/TCWHS; in addition to defending and repeating as Northern Catholic Regional Team Champions. Her non swimming resume’ is equally impressive. She has been on the honor roll each of her semesters at Bishop Ireton and is currently a member of the National Honor Society. She continues to show her leadership abilities by volunteering with the Potomac Marlins Special Swim team.

We are extremely honored to have these 5 women represent Bishop Ireton High School at the annual Alexandria Sportsman’s Club 2014 awards banquet. They are remarkable student-athletes and great leaders at Bishop Ireton. They are truly amazing ladies who lead by example on and off the field. They fully engulf what we at Bishop Ireton strive to be every day. We are so proud to say they belong to our Bishop Ireton family and are one of our very own Cardinals. They show us that it’s great to be a Cardinal!

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Coach of the Year!

Posted on 24 May 2014 by owense. Tags: bishop ireton lacrosse, Rick Sofield, VISAA girls lacrosse, WCAC girls lacrosse

WCAC & VISAA Coach of the Year, Rick Sofield, enjoys a moment with assistant coaches Heather Olson, left, and Bridget Corridon, right, during action on Fannon Field.

The Bishop Ireton Girls Varsity Lacrosse had an amazing year! Their coach, Rick Sofield, led the girls to two championships and a 20-4 season. His team won the WCAC championships 17-7 against Good Counsel and the VISAA championships 9-7 against Saint Stephens & Saint Agnes.

Sofield also led the team last year but lost in the WCAC championships and fell in the semifinals in VISAA to Collegiate School. They had a strong team last year but it was nothing like this season. Sofield added: “The girls were ready to win this year. It was their year and I am so proud of each and every one of my girls.”

The girls learned from Sofield that they are not only a team but a family. They watched over each other and helped each other out. The girls also learned that you will get what you want if you work hard. This year showed that this year all of that hard work definitely paid off. The girls learned life lessons, such as discipline, from Sofield. The girls know that as a result of being coached by him that they have grown in multiple ways.

Sofield says he loves coming to practices and seeing the girls get stronger. He was named Coach of the Year in the WCAC as well as the VISAA and is looking forward to next season.

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Reflections on Recordbreaking 2014 Girls’ Lax Season

Posted on 23 May 2014 by wsimmons. Tags: Alexandria lacrosse, bishop ireton lacrosse, Rick Sofield, wcac lacrosse

A come-from-behind 9-7 win gave Bishop Ireton it's first VISAA title and first victory over St Stephens/St Agnes School.

The 2014 Bishop Ireton Cardinals girls lacrosse team finished the most successful season in program history with a 20-4 record. They became the first team ever at Bishop Ireton to win both the conference and state titles in the same season.

Cardinals Roll to VISAA Title

The Cardinals beat St. Stephens & St. Agnes 9-7 for the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association (VISAA) state title at Collegiate School in Richmond on Saturday, May 17. The triumph marks the Cardinals’ first 20-win season and the first time Bishop Ireton has ever defeated SSSA in girls’ lacrosse. The big BI win also brings to an end the Saints’ run of seven consecutive state titles (2007-2013).

“These girls were amazing,” said Ireton Coach Rick Sofield. “They went down 4-0 in the first five minutes, then lost the draw and got a yellow card. It could’ve gotten out of control, but they kept calm…caused a turnover and turned it into a quick goal to make it 4-1. “From there we just chipped away.” The Saints led 5-3 at halftime.

The Cardinals finally took the lead 8-7 with 9:45 left in the game. BI spread the field and began to eat big chunks of time as they worked the offensive side of the field. Patience and excellent passing finally paid dividends with 3:59 remaining and the score was 9-7. The Saints could not mount an effective attack against the Cardinals’ defensive wall late in the game, never got an open look, and shots from the perimeter were off target. With time running short, Bishop Ireton forced a last turnover and ran out the clock to secure the win.

Ireton Wins WCAC Title

Ireton’s first-ever state title game victory was preceded by their momentous first-ever Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title at the University of Maryland’s Ludwig Field on Monday, May 12—two huge titles in less than one week. The 17-7 victory over Good Counsel was the first conference championship in any sport for Bishop Ireton since the BI girls’ softball team won the conference title in 2003. Good Counsel had won nine of the last 10 WCAC girls’ lacrosse titles.

This game was close at first, but the Cardinals broke it open with a 10-1 run that turned a 4-4 tie into a 14-5 rout.

“These girls are selfless and care about nothing other than helping each other be their best,” says coach Sofield. “They are a true team.”

In the WCAC championship game, the Cards scored the final three goals of the first half, with two coming in the final 46 seconds. Bishop Ireton then scored nine of the first 11 second-half goals to break it open.

Hard Work Pays Off…

The Nike/US Lacrosse poll places Bishop Ireton #7 in the country; the Brine/TopLaxRecruits.com poll places the Cardinals at #8; the StudentSports.com FAB 50 poll has BI at #6; and the LaxPower.com poll has Ireton at #6 (CCR 85.95). The season included wins against teams from Pennsylvania, California, and Delaware—as well as three total victories against ISL AA teams (SSSA, Georgetown Visitation, and Flint Hill) and one against an IAAM A team (Archbishop Spalding). The April 7 win over Georgetown Visitation was the Cardinals’ first win against the Cubs since 2009.

“The girls have been working on this for 11 months. On our t-shirts, it says ‘it’s not an accident,’ and what we’re saying is we’re working hard, we’re earning this,” Sofield says. “It’s not just that we got lucky for a couple of games. We worked hard to put ourselves in a position to take advantage of opportunities, and that’s what they did.”

Looking Back, Looking Forward

Ireton returns 10 of 12 starters for their 2015 campaign—only Florida-bound goalie Olivia Cole and Rhodes-bound attacker Kendall Cunningham are leaving. Future Gator Cole finishes her high school career with 570 saves and five assists. Future Lynx player Cunningham collected a total of 140 goals and 31 assists during her great three-year tenure at Bishop Ireton.

The 2014-2015 team co-captains are Charlotte Sofield, Kelly Mathews, Kaitlin Luzik, and Natalie Irwin. Next year’s team right now includes six future NCAA Division I women’s lacrosse players: rising seniors Sofield (North Carolina), Luzik (Virginia), Irwin (Navy), and Mathews (Boston University); and rising juniors Kelly Larkin (Navy) and Brittany Dolan (Penn State).

On May 20, Mathews was named the Nike/US Lacrosse Mid-Atlantic “Player of the Week” due to her outstanding performance during the Cardinals’ historic “6 Games in May” WCAC and VISAA playoff victories. The midfielder totaled 13 goals in the WCAC playoffs, including six goals in the championship game versus Good Counsel. Then she scored eight goals in three games in Ireton’s run to the VISAA title, including a two-goal, one-assist performance against St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes.

The US Lacrosse Women’s National Tournament took place May 24-25 in Bel Air, MD, and the Cardinals had nine players among the five teams representing the DC Metro area—Sofield, Mathews, Luzik, Irwin, Larkin, Dolan, Kayla Duperrouzel, Maggie Lohrer, and Amelia Cole.

Cardinals celebrate their first ever WCAC lacrosse title with 17-7 win over defending champs, Good Counsel

Sofield was named Washington Catholic Athletic Conference girls’ lacrosse player of the year. Also named to the All-WCAC first team were O. Cole, Mathews, and Irwin. Earning All-WCAC second team honors were Luzik, Larkin, Lohrer, and Duperrouzel. Receiving All-WCAC honorable mention accolades were K. Cunningham, Christine Macey, Dolan, and Susan Morad. Coach Sofield and Good Counsel head coach Michael Haight were named WCAC co-Coaches of the Year.

Sofield, Luzik, Mathews, and Irwin received All-VISAA first team honors. Duperrouzel and Larkin were All-VISAA second team selections. Coach Sofield was also named VISAA Coach of the Year.

Two days after the VISAA title game, Olivia Cole was named Bishop Ireton’s first-ever Under Armour Senior All-American. She will play for the South team (vs. the North team) in the ninth annual Under Armour All-America Lacrosse Classic Saturday, July 12, 7:30 p.m. ET, at Towson University’s Johnny Unitas Stadium in Towson, MD. Only the nation’s top girls’ high school seniors are selected each year for the sport’s highest honor. They are selected by a panel of lacrosse experts from Inside Lacrosse Magazine. The year-long selection process includes input from college and high school coaches from across the country as well as nominations from the public.

Two more Cardinals will be in action that same weekend as Cole at Towson University. Sofield has been named an Under Armour Underclass All-American and will play for the Washington, DC, team. Morad will compete and showcase herself as part of the 2016 Under Armour Uncommitted Game in front of scores of college coaches.

Tale of the Numbers…

Over 24 total games, the 2014 team scored an average of 14.83 goals per game while allowing only 7.75 goals per game. Ireton won their final ten games of the season by raising their scoring average to 15.6 goals per game and lowering their goals against average to 6.9 per game. Not by accident, BI won all of those final ten games.

Overall 22 different BI players scored goals during the 2014 season—Mathews (81); K. Cunningham (59); Sofield (48); Larkin (47); Luzik (27); Duperrouzel (22); Kayla Marshall (21); Macey (9); Kate Carney (9); Irwin (6); Maggie Wiltsie (5); Grace Fletcher (4); Caton Brisbin (4); Lohrer (3); Julie Hanson (2); Megan Cunningham (2); Ann Johnson (2); Melanie Hart (1); Claire Heaney (1); Morgan Decanio (1); Dolan (1); and Katie Ryan (1).

Overall 13 different Ireton players made assists during the 2014 season—Sofield (69); Larkin (40); Mathews (27); Luzik (21); Duperrouzel (13); Macey (11); Marshall (10); Lohrer (9); K. Cunningham (9); Carney (6); Fletcher (4); Irwin (3); and O. Cole (3).

The Cole sisters handled goalie duties during the 2014 season. Olivia had 129 saves and Amelia had 20.

The top-five point totals on the team were Sofield (117); Mathews (108); Larkin (87); K. Cunningham (68); and Luzik (48).

Cardinals battled back from 4-0 deficit to claim their first VISAA Division 1 championship at Collegiate School over St Stephens/St Agnes School

Final Thoughts…

It will be an action-packed summer for the girls as they work hard as teammates and opponents for various club teams at tournaments up and down the east coast. They will also be attending many different camps and clinics in an ongoing effort to sharpen their lacrosse skills. Some 2015 Cardinals are going as far afield as Colorado, Massachusetts, and Florida to play in tournaments and attend camps.

The 2014 pre-season analysis from StudentSports.com said: “The Cardinals have steadily improved in each of head coach Rick Sofield’s three seasons, going from a 12-9 record in 2011 to 15-8 in 2012 to 17-6 and a WCAC runner-up finish last year. With 10 returning starters…Bishop Ireton has the potential to have a breakout year.”

The Cardinals certainly had that breakout year and it sure turned out to be a season to remember!

Click here for more on the team’s season.

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Ireton lax alum honored by Belmont Abbey College

Posted on 19 May 2014 by wsimmons. Tags: bishop ireton lacrosse, William Chastain

2013 Ireton alum Will Chastain lauded with Nalls Award in May 2014

In May 2014, Will Chastain, a 2013 Bishop Ireton alumnus, was awarded the Freshman of the Year Award for Men’s Lacrosse at Belmont Abbey College. Chastain, is an attackman for the Division II Crusaders in Belmont, North Carolina. He also received the Michael A. Nalls Sr. Memorial Award, an institutional award honoring one female and one male outstanding freshman student-athlete among all freshmen athletes. He was nominated by his teammates to be the freshman representative on the Crusader’s Lacrosse Team Leadership Council. He is currently majoring in Business Management.

Chastain, the son of Colonel (Retired) and Mrs. Jerry Chastain, USA, was a 3-year Varsity letterman for the Cardinals lacrosse team (2-year Varsity Captain) and a 4-year Varsity letterman for the ice hockey team (1-year Varsity Captain). As a Cardinal attackman his junior and senior years, he earned All-Washington Catholic Athletic Conference honorable mention selections and was the highest point leader (goals and assists) on the Varsity lacrosse team both years. In addition, he was awarded Team MVP for Varsity lacrosse and received the Cardinal Award for Varsity ice hockey his senior year.

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Cardinal Crew claims gold at WMIRA

Posted on 19 May 2014 by wsimmons. Tags: Bishop Ireton Crew, bishop ireton rowing, WMIRA

Cardinal W2 V4 gold medal winners, left to right, Angelica Sheils, Alexandra Mattoch, Noelle Chaney, DJ Mendoza, & Jessica Kammen at 2014 WMIRA

After a Spring season filled with successes and challenges especially from Mother Nature, the BI crew team headed to Georgetown for the WMIRA (Washington Metropolitan Interscholastic Rowing Association) championships on May 11. The day began with much appreciated sunshine and ended with squalls and a gold and 2 bronze medals for the Cardinals!

The Women’s and Men’s Novice 4 teams started the day off along the picturesque waterfront. Although neither Bishop Ireton Novice boats progressed out of their heats, it was a great experience for these athletes who finally had their first opportunity to compete on the Potomac after the WMIRA Novice Regatta was cancelled the weekend before due to river flooding and debris. In the next heats, the Women’s 3V4 finished fifth and the Men’s 2V4 placed third. Both the Women’s V4 (Veronica Richardson, Sarah Rushforth, Elizabeth McCabe, Maggie McCabe, and Audrey Sisel) and 2V4 (DJ Mendoza, Jessica Kammen, Ali Mattoch, Angelica Shiels), and Noelle Chaney) boats finished first in their heats and advanced to the finals. The Men”s V4 (Sebi Guttierez, Weston Birkett, Evan Feree, David Rapp, and Mikaela Shaller) completed the rounds of heats with a second place finish which also advanced them to the finals.

In the afternoon, the weather suddenly declined with rain and high winds as the Women’s 2V4 contenders battled their way up river to the starting line with Bishop O’Connell, Elizabeth Seton, Holten Arms, and St John’s College. Fortunately, the weather relaxed a bit for the actual race in which the Cardinals triumphed with a first place finish and a gold medal! The Women’s V4 followed with a third place finish behind O’Connell (1st) and Wilson (2nd). The final BI race for the day was the Men”s V4 which took third after battling Walter Johnson (1st) and O’Connell (2nd).

Coach Mieke Cranford said that “Three medals at our conference Championship is something to be very excited about, the future of Ireton Crew is looking strong!”

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“It’s Not an Accident”, Cardinals claim first state title, 9-7

Posted on 19 May 2014 by wsimmons.

Bishop Ireton's 2014 VISAA Division I Girls' Lacrosse state champions. climbing into the top 10 as well in most national high school polls.

“The bottom line,” said head coach Rick Sofield, “the girls played with a great deal of heart.” Indeed, when the top-ranked Saints of St. Stephens/St. Agnes thoroughly dominated the game’s opening 6 minutes in racing to a 4-0 lead, the Cardinal faithful fidgeted nervously in their seats in Collegiate School’s beautiful field on a picture perfect spring day in Richmond.

The Saints’ senior captain, Olivia Mikkelsen, opened the scoring in the 2014 state championship at 23:21 off a free position opportunity and junior Zoe Belodeau made it 2-0 a minute later. Ellie Carson scored on another free position before a yellow card to Ireton gave Darby Philbrick the Saints’ third free position scoring opportunity of the game and the Cardinals had yet to cross midfield, suddenly down 4-0.

Sofield got a timeout and steadied the second-seeded WCAC champs. “Coach called a good time out, we got our act together and came out strong,” junior attack Kelly Mathews told DCSportsFan’s Brian Kapur. “That was a key time in the game to get back and put a couple goals on the board.”

It was Mathews that found senior Kendall Cunningham for Bishop Ireton’s first goal of the game at 17:17. Mathews tallied next at 13:29 to pull Ireton back to 4-2 before Avery Donahoe made it 5-2 in the game’s 14th minute of play. To that point, the white-jerseyed Saints had dominated the draws, sitting on a 6-1 advantage and playing the game in their offensive zone.

Cunningham’s second goal of the half came at 2:28 as the momentum began to shift and Ireton followed an extended series of plays in their offensive zone to close the half but future Southern Cal goalie, Gussie Johns, strong all afternoon, denied the Cardinals any further first period scoring.

The second half, however, was a different story. Now it was the Cardinals gaining the majority of draw controls, their speed beginning to aid the comeback. St Stephens had the first scoring opportunity of the second half, but goalie Olivia Cole was equal to the challenge. Minutes later WCAC player of the year, Charlotte Sofield scored to inch the Cardinals closer at 5-4, only to see the Saints counter with a goal of their own 30 seconds later. The pace of the game was quickening.

At 18:55 remaining it was Cunningham once again for her third goal on a perfectly executed play. As Sofield broke the goal, the Saints expertly slid into a tight double team, only to see the rangy Cardinal thread a pass to the Rhodes college-bound senior for a wide open shot. Ireton was back to within a goal at 6-5 just under 6 minutes into the second half.

Draw controls, so scarce in the first half for Ireton now came the Cardinals’ way, and after her third consecutive draw win, freshman Kayla Douperrouzel tied the game with 18 minutes left. Another free position goal, a minute later, gave the Saints their last lead of the game at 7-6.

Kelly Larkin’s free position shot hit the post but she snared the ground ball rebound and scored at 11:54 prompting the Saints to use a time out with the scored knotted at 7-7. Shortly after, Sofield assisted once again off a double team, this time finding Douperrezoul at 9:45 and the Cardinals had their first lead at 8-7.

Momentum was now with the cardinal and gold and the time started to become the enemy of the defending champions. Ireton spread the field and began to eat large chunks of time as they worked the offensive side of the field. Finally, Kelly Larkin found an open Kelly Mathews with 3:59 remaining and suddenly Sofield’s charges held a two-goal advantage.

Another critical draw control and more time burned off the clock before the Saints forced an Ireton turnover in the game’s final 100 seconds. Quickly, they transitioned into the offensive zone but the Cardinals defensive again continued to stymie the St. Stephens attack, never giving an open look and shots from the perimeter were off the mark. Finally, as the clock wore down to the final moments, Bishop Ireton forced a last turnover and ran out the clock to secure the win.

It started in June; the conditioning, the workouts, club tournaments. Soon it was 6am workouts before the school day began, followed winter league games and always the training. The schedule was demanding; 7 state champions or runners-up were on the schedule, scrimmages with the likes of nationally top-ranked McDonogh School, rescheduling a rained out game with powerful Georgetown Visitation the day before defending WCAC champions Good Counsel visited Fannon Field. For Coach Sofield it was all designed to prepare for one thing, “six games in May”; the three WCAC championship tournament games immediately followed by three more challenging VISAA tourney games. Most anticipated the inevitable match up with the cross town champion Saints in Richmond. On Saturday, it all paid off for the Cardinals.

“It’s not an accident”, was the phrase on the backs of the Cardinals’ warm up shirts all year long, reminding them the hard work was paying off. Once again on the field Saturday they proved to fans and each other, it wasn’t an accident.

The Cardinals (20-4), ended the season with a first ever WCAC title, a VISAA Division I championship, and their first ever win over the Saints. For St. Stephens/St. Agnes (27-2), it was their first ever loss in the state tournament for the storied 19-time ISL champions.

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“It’s Not an Accident”, Cardinals claim first state title, 9-7

Posted on 18 May 2014 by wsimmons. Tags: Amelia Cole, bishop ireton lacrosse, Charlotte Sofield, Kayla Duperrouzel, Kelly Mathews, Kendall Cunningham, Olivia Cole, VISAA girls lacrosse