Bishop Ireton High School | Articles | Game Preview/Recap

Coach Rick Sofield gathers his players during action Sunday in the Cardinals 18-5 win over Hinsdale Central HS of Hinsdale, Illinois.

The Bishop Ireton Cardinals defeated WCAC foe Bishop McNamara 18-1 on Tuesday, March 24, in Forestville, MD. For Ireton, 12 different players scored goals—Madeline Stephens (1); Natalie Irwin (1); Kaitlin Luzik (2); Kelly Mathews (1); Charlotte Sofield (1); Christine Macey (1); Lexi Ledoyen (2); Anne Sullivan (2); Caton Brisbin (1); Julie Hanson (1); Grace Fletcher (2); and Kelly Larkin (3).

There were eight different players who got assists—Kayla Marshall (2); Luzik (1); Mathews (1); Sofield (3); Macey (1); Maggie Lohrer (1); Katie Ryan (1); and Madison

Sophomores goalie Amelia Cole and defender Morgan DeCanio (#19) were key parts of the Cardinals’ defensive effort which shut down the #2 team from Illinois on March 29.

Mote (3). Game point leaders were Sofield (4); Mote (3); Larkin (3); and Luzik (3).

The Ireton defense was rock solid as the only Bishop McNamara shot on goal during the entire game was when they scored on a deflected free position shot early in the first half.

On Friday, March 27, the Cardinals went to St. Mary’s Ryken in Leonardtown, MD, and dominated the home team 16-1. Senior Charlotte Sofield was Bishop Ireton’s point leader with 3 goals and 3 assists. Junior Kelly Larkin had 3 goals, 2 assists; senior Kelly Mathews got 2 goals, 1 assist; sophomore Kayla Duperrouzel notched 2 goals, 1 assists; senior Christine Macey had 2 goals; freshman Lexi Ledoyen notched 2 goals; sophomore Kayla Marshall got 1 goal, 1 assist; sophomore Katie Ryan had 1 goal; senior Kaitlin Luzik got 1 assist; and freshman Madison Mote had 1 assist.

For the second straight game the Ireton defense allowed only one shot on goal from their opponent and unfortunately St. Mary’s Ryken lone score and only shot the entire game was when they scored on a deflected free position shot late in the second half.

Bishop Ireton got a big home win by defeating a tough Notre Dame Prep team from Towson, Maryland, 17-5 on Saturday, March 28, at Fannon Field on Cambridge Road in Alexandria. Against a hard defensive effort by NDP, Duperrouzel led the way for the Cardinals’ with 4 goals and 3 assists. Larkin had 4 goals; Mathews got 3 goals, 1 assist; Ledoyen notched 2 goals; Sofield had 1 goal, 3 assists; Luzik got 1 goal, 1 assist; Marshall notched 1 goal; junior Grace Fletcher had 1 goal; and Macey got 1 assist. Sophomore goalie Amelia Cole came up big against a relentlessly attacking NDP offense with 5 saves, 3 ground balls, and 1 caused turnover. Colby Riehl led the Blazers with a pair of goals while Ellie Aburn had 5 saves for the visitors.

On Sunday, March 29, Bishop Ireton beat a tough Hinsdale Central team from Hinsdale, Illinois 18-5 at Fannon Field. The Cardinals were behind 3-1 early to the suburban Chicago school, but came back strong to lead 9-3 at halftime. Larkin led Ireton with 4 goals and 2 assists. Mathews and Sofield each had 4 goals, 1 assist; Marshall and Ledoyen each got 2 goals; Duperrouzel notched 3 assists; Luzik, Fletcher, and Ryan each had 1 goal; and Macey notched 1 assist. Goalie Cole backstopped the Cardinals’ superb defensive effort against Illinois’ #2 team with 5 saves, including 2 saves on free position shots.  Anna Santulli scored three times for the Red Devils and Kelly Mullin had 9 saves in goal for Illinois public high school.

The Cardinals (7-0, 2-0) return to WCAC action on Tuesday when the always tough Tartans of Holy Cross visit Fannon Field at 4pm.  Holy Cross was edged by a goal late at St Stephens earlier in the season and suffered their first setback in WCAC when they fell 15-5 to powerhouse Good Counsel last week.

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Mike Comeree, seen here against PVI, blasted a double to dead center driving in the winning run against Gonzaga.

Bishop Ireton got a big first win over Gonzaga, 3-2, following a 11-0 stinker with Paul VI, then endured a 4-hour wet conditions delay on Saturday before umpires declared the field unplayable.

The Panthers came to Frank Mann Field with hot bats. Paul VI scored three in the first, extended the margin to 7-0 in the third while the Cardinal bats were largely silent in the lopsided affair.

Behind opening day starter Kyle Guzik, the Cardinals rebounded against Gonzaga’s Eagles.  Tossing a complete game for the win, the clubs battled 1-1 into the sixth inning. Gonzaga scratched out a run to take a 2-1 lead only to see the home team counterattack in the both half of the sixth for a pair of runs. It was all Guzik would need to deny Gonzaga in the 7th and earn his second win of the season.

The winning rally culminated with first baseman Matt Bardak singling home the the tying run, then Mike Commeree hit a towering double to deep center field to plate Bardak with  the game winner.

Saturday Bishop Ireton travelled to Bishop McNamara for an afternoon matinee.  The grounds crew at PG County Boys’ and Girls Club Field worked until nearly 3 hours after the scheduled start before umpires declared the game field unplayable and the Cardinals returned to Alexandria, still 1-1 in the WCAC and 2-2 over all.

Monday the Cardinals head to Fairfax for a rematch with PVI’s Panthers, first pitch is set for 6 pm.

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Rivalry Game to Open the 2015 Campaign

Kelly Larkin has had a fast start for the Cardinals in the first 3 games of the 2015 season. (photo courtesy of Delia Sullivan Photography)

The Larkin-Mathews combination provided key offensive leadership in the Tuesday, March 17, girls’ lacrosse season opener as junior Kelly Larkin had 3 goals, 2 assists; and senior Kelly Mathews had 3 goals to lead Bishop Ireton past Georgetown Visitation 11-9 on a windy day in Washington, D.C. Costly turnovers let the home team keep it close late into the second half when it was tied 9-9 but two straight Ireton goals with 5:44 and 5:11 respectively left in the game provided the margin of victory.

“They did a nice job of fighting back and getting the momentum in the second half,” said Bishop Ireton head coach Rick Sofield. “In crunch time we made the plays. We stalled the last few minutes and retained possession. We got the ball checked out of our stick with 30 seconds left, but we got it right back. It was our first game, and I was telling the girls we didn’t play our best, but we still found a way to beat a good team.”

Also contributing to the Cardinals’ offense were sophomore Kayla Duperrouzel (2 goals); senior Charlotte Sofield (1 goal, 1 assist); freshman Lexi Ledoyen (1 goal); and senior Kaitlin Luzik (1 assist).

Sophomore goalie Amelia Cole had 9 saves and “provided a menacing presence in the crease” according to The Washington Post.

 International Game versus Canadian Powerhouse
On Friday, March 20, the Cardinals welcomed Canada’s top high school girls’ lacrosse team from Hill Academy (Ontario) to Fannon Field in Ireton’s home opener of the 2015 season. The miserable weather was cold, wet, and windy. It was a hard fought contest and the winning goal was scored by Duperrouzel with nine seconds left in regulation.

For Bishop Ireton, Mathews had 3 goals, 1 assist; Sofield got 2 goals, 2 assists; Duperrouzel notched 2 goals, 1 assist; Larkin had 1 goal, 1 assist; Ledoyen got 1 goal; Luzik had 2 assists; and Cole had 8 saves.

Cardinals Win in Overtime Thriller
Bishop Ireton pulled it out the overtime win 13-11 against nationally ranked Roland Park of Baltimore at Fannon Field on Saturday, March 21. Sofield had 4 goals, 2 assists; Larkin got 4 goals, 1 assist; Mathews notched 3 goals, 2 assists; and Ledoyen and Kayla Marshall each got 1 goal; and Duperrouzel had 5 draw controls. Leading the defense were Luzik with 4 draw controls, 4 ground balls, and 3 caused turnovers; and Cole with 9 saves with at least three of them earned by stopping free position shot attempts.

It was during this game that Kelly Mathews scored her 200th career goal.

Another of the “K’s” senior Kelly Mathews, scored her 200th goal as a Cardinal in Bishop Ireton’s OT win over highly regarded Roland Park Country School Saturday. (photo courtesy Delia Sullivan Photography)

Coach Sofield was recently quoted in a Connection Newspapers article as saying, “We have talked about how different it is to be a competitor when you’re the one who’s in the lead…We talk about it the context of running a race: if you’re right behind the girl in the lead…and you’re staring at her back, you’re tracking her and she doesn’t know you’re back there and she doesn’t know you’re coming. That’s what I told them: This year, we’re the ones out front and people are running us down and there’s some girl out there [who is] working hard, who is trying to come up behind you and so you can’t let up. You can’t get complacent, you’ve got to keep going hard.”

Tomorrow the Cardinals travel to Bishop McNamara on Tuesday, March 24, and go to St. Mary’s Ryken on Friday, March 27, for their first two WCAC games of the year. Ireton faces nationally ranked Notre Dame Prep in a tough test at Fannon Field on Cambridge Road in Alexandria on Saturday, March 28, 1:00 p.m.

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Cardinals Kyle Guzik pitched a strong game into the 5th for Ireton in the season opener for each ballclub.

Kyle Guzik was cruising behind a crisp Cardinal defense and a scrappy offense until the Saints scored three runs in the home half of the 5th inning and escaped with a 3-2 win in the opener for both teams.

Chandler Wilder’s fielder’s choice plated Brian Hoffman in the top of the third, a lead that held up until the Saints’ 3-run fifth. St Stephens threatened in the 4th, but a double play ended the home team’s chances.

St Stephens used a pair of walks and a base hit to tight the game, a hit batter pushed across their second run and a sacrifice fly plated the third .  Ireton scratched out a run in the 6th inning to make it 3-2 but left the bases loaded as the frame ended.   Viateur Commeree was stranded on second after doubling in the top of the 7th to end the game.

For Bishop Ireton, weather continues to cause havoc with the schedule. Monday’s contest with Flint Hill is postponed, while the home opener, now set for Tuesday with St John Paul the Great awaits ground crew’s efforts.

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The Bishop Ireton JV Men’s Lacrosse team played a determined game against the Gonzaga Eagles on Fannon Field on Saturday, but lost 12-0.  Short handed due to academic commitments and illness, the Cardinals fought throughout the game, but had difficulty mounting an effective offense.

Sophomore Defensemen Declan Sofield played very well, harassing opponents and causing turnovers throughout the game. Sophomore Defenseman Alex Byrd, who had never played goalie until Wednesday’s practice, played an excellent game in goal, making 10 saves.

The Cardinals face St. Mary’s Ryken this Thursday on Fannon Field.  Gametime is slated for approximately 5:30pm

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Cardinals gather late in the 4th quarter of the game with Rockhurst of Kansas City.

Bishop Ireton’s home opener was a thriller, but with :19.9 left in the first overtime, Rockhurst High School of Kansas City scored the game-winning goal, topping the Cardinals 7-6.  The setback overshadowed a 17-save effort by junior Ryan Verducci, who kept the Cardinals in the game throughout.

Neither team could gain more than a one-goal advantage on a sunny, wind Sunday afternoon.  Rockhurst took a 1-0 lead, Reed Thompson scored the first of his two first half goals to get Ireton on top.  Cory Conway tallied twice in the second half to pick up the Cardinals down the stretch.

Ireton would edge ahead by a goal only to see the Hawklets counter. With 5 minutes to play, Verducci kept the Cardinals ahead with 4 spectacular saves in a span of 15 seconds. It was a back-and-forth afternoon, strong play by the goalies, evenly played between the squads.

Rockhurst tied the game late with a relentless offensive attack that sent the match to overtime.  The teams battled evenly into the 4-minute overtime before the visitors capitalized in the final rush  for the win.

Bishop Ireton fell to 0-3, 0-1 in conference play. The Cardinals return to action on Tuesday when Maret visits Fannon Field at 4pm.

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Ireton seniors pose for a senior day photo. Class of 2015 made its mark in the pool and the School.

The 2015 VISAA swim & dive championships were the culminating event for a memorable Bishop Ireton swim and dive season.  TheWomen’s squad finished 7^th overall with a final score of 120 while the Men’s squad finished 9^th overall with a final score of 105. Trinity Episcopal won the men’s competition with 327 points while Collegiate School captured the women’s crown with 271.

Ben Gorski and Anna Shumate each swam to state champions in the 100 Men’s and Women’s Breaststroke, respectively.   Gorski capped his BI career with a dazzling 54.76 finish that also qualified him as an All American in that event. School records were also broken by Ben Gorski in the 200 IM, Anna Shumate in the 50 Free, Emma Klein in the 100 Back and the Men’s 200 Medley Relay team (AJ Salvatori, Ben Gorski, Michael Morrison and Jimmy Grant).

Highlights of the meet results:

Men’s 100 Breaststroke – 1^st Place Medal / State Champ / All American – Ben Gorski (New School Record: 54.76)

Women’s 100 Breaststroke – 1^st Place Medal / State Champ – Anna Shumate (New School Record: 1:04.97)

Women’s 50 Free – 2^nd Place Medal – Anna Shumate (New School Record: 24.07)

Men’s 200 Medley Relay – 2^nd Place Medal – AJ Salvatori, Ben Gorski, Michael Morrison, Jimmy Grant (New School Record: 1:36.84)

Men’s 200 Individual Medley – 3^rd Place Medal – Ben Gorski (New School Record: 1:53.12)

Women’s 100 Butterfly – 5^th Place Medal – Emma Klein

Women’s 200 Free Relay – 5^th Place Medal – Emma Klein, Clara Boggs, Anna Shumate, Lori Abbed

Women’s 200 Medley Relay – 6^th Place Medal – Emma Klein, Anna Shumate, Abigail Grillo, Hayley Snell

Men’s 400 Free Relay – 7^th Place Medal – Jimmy Grant, Jared Steen, Michael Morrison, AJ Salvatori

Women’s 100 Back – 8^th Place Medal – Emma Klein (New School Record: 1:00.06)

Men’s 100 Back – 10^th Place – AJ Salvatori

Men’s 200 Free – 13^th Place – Michael Morrison

Women’s 400 Free Relay – 15^th Place – Anney Matlock, Abigail Grillo, Anna Fracasso, Clara Boggs

In an electrifying atmosphere of competition, the Bishop Ireton swimmers soared off the starting blocks to take two State Championships and break six school records at the Virginia Independent School Athletic Association Championship in Richmond this past weekend. Hosted at the Collegiate School Aquatic Complex, 49 teams put their best swimmers in the water in the culminating meet of the high school season.

There were several Cardinal mascot sightings during the finals sessions on Friday and Saturday afternoon to cheer the swimmers to do their best in the intense environment against the state’s top swimmers.

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Junior Ryan Verducci had a strong start in goal for the Cardinals Wednesday.

The debut of Coach Brandon Rose was an overcast, cool March scrimmage, but the new Ireton skipper liked what he saw in the team’s opening action Wednesday.  St Andrew’s Episcopal called on the Cardinals for a varsity and junior varsity scrimmage. And, by the looks of the crowd size, the Cardinal faithful didn’t want to miss any opportunity to see the “new look” Bishop Ireton squad.

“The varsity played a top caliber first quarter,  lots of opportunities with a high tempo.” commented Rose after the event. “And, the junior varsity is poised to be a very close knit group with the chemistry already building.”

Weather permitting, Bishop Ireton will open the regular season at 1pm Saturday on Fannon Field when the Huskies of Flint Hill visit the Cardinals. The JV game will follow.

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Point guard junior Paige Russell and mates will look to improve on the Cardinals’ best finish in years next season as Cardinals fall to top ranked PVI in state semifinals Friday.

If Paul VI Catholic had any letdown from the night before and their thrilling WCAC championship win, it wasn’t evident Friday as the Panthers methodically dispatched the upstart Cardinals 65-48 to move to the state finals for the 9th consecutive season, where they will play WCAC rival Bishop O’Connell for the state title.

Bishop Ireton has played the Panthers tough, taking a lead to intermission earlier in the month in Fairfax. They knew what to expect in their fourth meeting of the season with the 8-time defending state champs.

PVI edged out to a 13-8 lead after one period of play before going on a 10-2 run to open up a 23-10 margin on the Cardinals. Ireton steadied at that point and went to intermission trailing 29-17.

A three at the buzzer ballooned the Panthers’ advantage to 45-30 as the third stanza ended. The game ramped up in the 4th quarter offensively, but the 18-point final period outburst did little to close the gap as the Panthers added 20 in the final quarter.

The loss sends the Cardinals home to wrap up the 15-16 campaign, the most wins in School history for the girls. Two of Ireton’s five seniors, Cece Leone (18 points) and Alex Stipano (15 points) again paced the Cardinals in scoring, including four more three-point field goals for Stipano, the Washington metro area’s top three-point shooter.  Charlotte Sofield, Danielle Hatchett, and Hannah Miller also completed their varsity basketball career with Bishop Ireton.

“It was an exciting season, an enjoyable one to watch.” said athletic director, Bill Simmons. “Hats off to our seniors, they went through some lean times and stuck with it. They worked hard with our new coaching staff, they lead by example for our younger players, and they played hard every night. People noticed what they did this year. There is a new feeling about our basketball program. They had a lot to do with that.  And, we have a great group of players returning. Coach Harris has exceeded expectations, he has raised the bar, and we are looking forward to next year!”

News and Notes:

– 15 wins is the most by a Bishop Ireton varsity girls team since the school become co-ed in 1990. It is also the most by an Ireton basketball coach in the first year at the school.

– Alex Stipano is the only Cardinal to lead a Washington Post basketball statistical category since the Post began publishing  the lists. Her 93 three-balls are 19 more than the next closest player.

– Stipano was Ireton’s first WCAC 1st team all conference player, all state teams will be announced in March.

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