Hockey win highlight of Springside Homecoming

by TOM UTESCHER

After turbulent weather through most of September, Springside School's varsity sports teams enjoyed sunny, warm conditions for their Homecoming Day games on October 1.

The date marked the start of the Girls Inter-Ac League season for the Lions, who took on visiting Agnes Irwin in field hockey, soccer, and tennis. Three goals and an assist by junior Emery Maine powered the locals to a 4-2 victory on the hockey pitch, but on the courts the visitors ruled, prevailing 7-0. Sophomore Jess Griffin's first-half goal allowed the Lions to maintain a 1-0 lead through much of the soccer game, but a late flurry of scoring won it for the Irwin Owls, 3-1.

Springside attacked at the outset of the hockey match, and Maine served notice on the Owls with a shot that struck the right goalpost. Irwin (2-3 overall) came back for two corners about ten minutes in, getting off a shot each time only to have them stopped by Lions goalie Sara Heinze (12 saves). Springside (7-0-1) got on the board with 16:40 to go in the first half, when Maine converted off of a corner hit by Rachel Estepa.

Three minutes later Irwin pulled even thanks to Merrian Mikhail, but with no time left on the clock at the end of the half Springside was awarded a corner, and another Estepa-to-Maine effort put the hosts ahead, 2-1. Less than 90 seconds into the trailing half, Maine drove the ball into the visitors' circle and Sofia Zmurkewycz tipped it into the Owls' nest for a 3-1 lead. With 25:27 left Toby Eyre scored to bring Irwin back within one, and later the Owls came close to tying it up on a series of rushes around the nine-minute mark.

With 6:55 remaining, Maine and Estepa clicked on a corner for the third time, etching the final score on the board. A penalty stroke with 5:29 showing gave Irwin a chance to make it a one-goal game, but Springside's Heinze repulsed the free shot by Eyre.

In tennis it was all Irwin as the visitors (4-0) won each individual match in straight sets. In the top spot, Springside senior Hadley Steel fell, 2-6, 0-6 to Caroline Closkey, one of three freshman prodigies playing singles for the Owls. The results were much the same for Springside's Emily Bilger, Karen Rothschild and Julia Judd in the other singles matches.

Springside won eight games in the second doubles match, where Lua O'Brien and Lucy Sorenson lost to Irwin's Cara Flynn and Emily Readinger, 3-6, 5-7.

Anna Heilbrun and Katy Prejsnar played first doubles for Springside, while Nell Sorenson and Karen Kesselring made up the third duo.

In soccer, Springside was just eight minutes away from securing its first Girls Inter-Ac victory since the 2001 season. The Lions started into the Inter-Ac opener at the .500 mark with a record of 3-3-1 in non-league bouts, while the Owls were clipping along at 4-1.

Play flowed back and forth early in the game, and on one of her several charges up the left wing, Springside's Bunny O'Reilly was tripped at the 18 yard line. O'Reilly left the field with what might've been a concussion (although she returned to play in the second half), and a Springside direct kick was set up just outside the penalty zone on the left.

Griffin took the free boot, chipping the ball up and across the goal so it came down under the crossbar on the right side with 21:20 remaining in the opening period.

The hosts' advantage endured until halftime, and when the Lions still led 1-0 at the three-quarter mark, fans became hopeful that the long-awaited league victory was indeed in the offing. Irwin attacked relentlessly in the last 20 minutes, though, and it became clear that the Lions would be lucky if their slim lead held up under this type of pressure from the visitors.

Goalie Nan Weisel would record a total of 22 saves for Springside, and sweeper Kira Theuer did her part by clearing the ball out of the box many times, but with 8:18 to go Ludmilla Crowther got Irwin even with a shot from the right side of the box.

Unfortunately for the hosts, this was the first crack in the dam, and the bulwark crumbled in the waning moments of the game. On a pair of direct kicks, Allison Heffernan moved the Owls ahead with 4:43 remaining and Crowther scored again to pad the lead with 3:20 left. At the far end goalie Sari Kinosian came away with six saves for Irwin, which had turned a near-defeat into a fairly comfortable victory.