ILWomen.com 2012 High School Rankings: April 11

The Eagles boast the nation's longest active winning streak at 56 straight wins.
West Genesee (N.Y.) moves up slightly following Tuesday's win over Christian Brother's Academy (N.Y.) and Century enters the rankings for the first time this season after beating South River (Md.) and Notre Dame Prep (Md.) last week.
1. McDonogh (Md.)
2. Garden City (N.Y.)
3. St. Anthony's (N.Y.)
4. Bryn Mawr (Md.)
5. Marriotts Ridge (Md.)
6. West Genesee (N.Y.)
7. Vero Beach (Fla.)
8. Ridgewood (N.J.)
9. Garnet Valley (Pa.)
10. St. Stephen's & St. Agnes (Va.)
11. Northport (N.Y.)
12. Chatham (N.J.)
13. Farmingdale (N.Y.)
14. Mendham (N.J.)
15. Loyola Academy (Ill.)
16. Christian Brother's Academy (N.Y.)
17. Moorestown (N.J.)
18. Georgetown Visitation (D.C.)
19. Darien (CT)
20. Century (Md.)
Others to Consider: Summit (N.J.), Hauppauge (N.Y.), Westminster (Md.), Milton (Ga.), St. John's (Texas), Episcopal (Dallas), Andover (Mass.), Medina (Ohio), Coronado (Calif.), Conestoga (Pa.), Pittsford (N.Y.), Lincoln Sudbury (Mass.), Mt. Sinai (N.Y.), Notre Dame Prep (Md.), Westwood (Mass.), Severna Park (Md.), Good Counsel (Md.), Carondelet (Calif.)

High School Scout: Mendham (N.J.) 8, Good Counsel (Md.) 7

Mendham (N.J.), ranked No. 12 in the latest edition of the ILWomen.com High School Rankings, traveled down to Olney, Md. to take on Good Counsel, who currently sits at No. 16.
Mendham was 2-0 entering the game with a win over Columbia and a close 13-12 victory over Mountain Lakes. Good Counsel entered the game following a 12-8 win over Bishop Ireton.

What Happened

Aly Messinger put Mendham on the board first as she took a pass from Maggie Sinzer and made a nice inside roll move for the goal, putting the ball past goalie Meagh just under the crossbar. Good Counsel's Caroline Peters and Mendham's Paige Russell would battle on the draw for the majority of the game.
While Mendham controlled possession for much of the game's opening minutes, Good Counsel would score three quick goals early to take a 3-1 lead. Jennifer Morrissey put Good Counsel on the board when she took a pass from Paige Russell and scored. Shea Cassidy dodged from the top of the eight meter minutes later and scored to give the Falcons a 2-1 lead and Peters scored on a free position shot to give Good Counsel a 3-1 advantage.
Paige Russell dodged from the top of the eight, where she worked for most of the day on the offensive end, beating Sarah Staines to make it 3-2. Russell came back to the draw circle to take the next draw, but was sent off the field. Apparently, it was because she was bleeding, but a "It's not her blood" comment coming from the Mendham sideline would indicate that she wasn't.
Peters scored midway through the half to give Good Counsel a 4-2 lead. She took an excellent pass from Haley Giraldi in traffic for the goal. Peters was the go-to player for the Falcons all day, as teammates were constantly looking for her cutting through the eight for a feed.
Both teams played great defense and neither would score for the rest of the half. Mendham's Carly Horan had a great trail check on Ally Flechsig that led to a turnover and a fastbreak for Mendham.
"We talked to them yesterday about making adjustments on their own defensively and not waiting until halftime," said coach Jessica Shoulberg. "They really did that. They stepped up and made adjustments on their own."
The Minutemen came out firing in the second half as Messinger hit Paige Russell and Sinzer for two quick goals in the first five minutes. Good Counsel wasn't going anywhere though as Staines found Camaryn Kerns for a score to take the lead again. Goals by Cassidy and Peters made it 7-4 and gave the Falcons their biggest lead of the day. It would also be the last of the scoring for Good Counsel.
Russell hustled on a ground ball off a rebound and buried it to make it 7-5 and Gia Padavano scored on a free position to bring Mendham within a goal. Messinger took over from there, finding Sinzer twice on similar plays to give Mendham an 8-7 lead, their first since they led 1-0 at the beginning of the game. From there, the Minutewomen were able to play strong defense and eventuall spread out on the offensive end and run out the clock to preserve the win.

What it Means

For Mendham, the win marks the team's first over an out-of-state opponent, making it a pretty significant win for the history of the program. For the second time in as many games, the Minutemen found themselves trailing by three goals and rallied to win and while Shoulberg noted that not digging themselves a hole early will be key going forward, the ability to battle back shows the resiliency of her team.
The win also means a 3-0 start to the season heading into a tough week with games against New Jersey powers Ridgewood and Chatham. A boost of confidence with a win over Good Counsel surely can't hurt heading into that stretch.
For Good Counsel, it means the third loss in the last week. The Falcons lost to Georgetown Visitation last Thursday and fell to Garnet Valley (Pa.) on Monday.

Quotable

"Everyone was a little worried about our bus legs, but I was happy with the way we came out. We just weren't finishing, and we needed to tighten up on our defense. Once we started doing that, things started going in our favor."
—Mendham coach Jessica Shoulberg

Stats

Mendham: Aly Messinger (1G, 4A), Maggie Sinzer (3G, 1A), Paige Russell (3G), Gia Padavano (1G)
Good Counsel: Caroline Peters (3G, 1A), Jennifer Morrissey (2G, 1A), Shea Cassidy (1G, 1A), Haley Giraldi (1A), Sarah Staines (1G), Camaryn Kerns (1A)

Who Stood Out

Aly Messinger, Senior, Attack, Mendham
A speedy left-handed attacker, Messinger was constantly looking to feed, which she did often, finishing with four assists on the day. She has great field vision and directed traffic on the offensive end. Her passes were fantastic — extremely quick and right on target to her teammates. She also worked hard on the ride, using her speed to pressure Good Counsel on the clear.
Meagh Graham, Junior, Goalie, Good Counsel
A very active goalie who came out of the net on clears and on a few occasions to pick off passes in front of the crease, Graham was a game-changer on Thursday. In addition to being key on clears for the Falcons, she also made some tremendous saves in various situations — on free positions, in the fastbreak and in a settled offense.
Paige Russell, Junior, Midfield, Mendham
One of the most athletic players on the field Thursday, Russell was key to Mendham's transition, using her speed to blow by defenders between the 30s. She has a quick first step accompanied with her blazing quickness, which she often used dodging from the top of the eight.
Caroline Peters, Junior, Midfield, Good Counsel
Peters was an asset both on the draw and on the offensive end of the ball where she was clearly the go-to player for the Falcons. A strong stick-handler, Peters was able to get her stick on the ball in many situations off the draw. She was also the catalyst for the offense, able to dodge and look for teammates or catch and finish in tight spots.

Baltimore Sun: Brittany Mallory Joins Notre Dame Lacrosse

Brittany Mallory’s decision to focus on basketball at Notre Dame gave her the chance to play in two NCAA championship games, but back at McDonogh, Mallory was also known as one of the area’s top high school lacrosse players.
Her final athletic turn in college will come on the lacrosse field. The Fighting Irish announced Monday that Mallory has joined their No. 7 women’s lacrosse team.
A two-time All-Metro midfielder at McDonogh, Mallory played three years of lacrosse and led the Eagles to the IAAM A Conference final in 2006. She led them in scoring her sophomore and junior year and was critical in winning draws.
“I’m really excited to be able to join the women’s lacrosse team for the rest of the season,” Mallory, a Notre Dame graduate student, said in a news release. “I played in middle school and high school and I love the sport. I’m friends with many of the girls on the team and have missed playing while I have been here at Notre Dame. I just want to come in and help the team in whatever way I can.”
Mallory, a three-time All-Metro basketball player at McDonogh, started all 39 games for the No. 4 Irish basketball team that reached last week’s national championship game but fell to No. 1 Baylor, 80-61. Mallory averaged 5.8 points per game but was known for her leadership and defense. She hit a pair of 3-pointers in overtime of the national semifinal to help lift the Irish over Connecticut, 83-75. Seven of her 11 points came in overtime.
She finished her basketball career as Notre Dame’s career leader in games played with 151 and ranked fifth in steals with 272 and sixth in 3-pointers with 153.
Mallory first lacrosse game will come on a familiar campus as the Irish travel to Connecticut Saturday.
"We are excited to add Brittany Mallory to the roster now that her basketball season/career has come to a close," Irish lacrosse coach Christine Halfpenny said in a news release. "I am excited about the unique contributions that Brittany can add to our already strong and balanced team for the remainder of the season. Without a doubt her championship character will be a natural fit with the goals this team has set for the program."

Towson, women's highlights from Towson's 10-8 win over Delaware.

Duke Women's Lax - Call Me Maybe (Carly Rae Jepsen)

Midseason Report: Player of the Year Watch

We are just past the midway point in the women’s lacrosse world and the future field of 16 looks almost impossible to predict. With conference tournaments coming up, we will know some of the teams that will play in the NCAA Tournament in a few weeks. We will also know who will one step closer to the Tewaaraton Trophy when the nominees are released. Let’s take a look at who may be in contention now:

1. Shannon Smith, Senior, Attack, Northwestern

If not for Smith, the Wildcats may have had their first loss and subsequently lost their #1 ranking over the weekend. After her teammate Erin Fitzgerald hit a free position with 19 seconds left to force overtime against Ohio State, Smith scored two goals in the first overtime period to lead the Wildcats to victory at Gillette Stadium. This comes a couple weeks after she torched UMass for six goals in a double-digit victory at home. Currently she leads the #1 team in the nation with 35 goals, adding 11 assists and is still the favorite to win the Tewaaraton again.

2/3. Kitty Cullen/Ashley Bruns, Junior, Attack, Florida

You could choose a number of players from Florida for this list. The Florida offense has been extremely impressive, including 20 goals up on Dartmouth and Penn State, two of the strongest defensive teams in the country. Cullen has not played the last two games for the Gators, but she has 29 goals and 20 assists on the season. Her best game came against Dartmouth, putting up five goals and three assists against Kristen Giovanniello. Bruns has a good chance too, contributing 36 goals, 18 assists and 17 ground balls, including four goals against Dartmouth and Penn State. If Florida’s offense keeps this up, someone on the team will be on the final five.

4. Karri Ellen Johnson, Senior, Attack, Maryland

Put a ranked team in front of the Terrapins, it will not matter to Johnson. In the last couple of weeks, Maryland has faced Boston College, Stony Brook, James Madison, Towson and Penn, and Johnson put up at least four points in all those games, including five goals and an assist vs. Towson. She has had impact on offense with 37 goals and 13 assists and the draw, controlling 38 of them, plus has 11 caused turnovers.

5. Taylor Thornton, Junior, Defense, Northwestern

Thornton continues to be a threat everywhere on the field, on defense, offense and at center circle. In the close win over Ohio State, Thornton had a career-high nine draws plus a free position goal, a week after she had a hat trick and two caused turnovers against Vanderbilt. She stands in the top-50 in Division in draw controls, ground balls and caused turnovers per game, currently having 41 draws, 24 ground balls, 15 caused turnovers and 14 goals.

6. Becky Lynch, Senior, Attack, North Carolina

It was tough to choose between Lynch and Laura Zimmermann for this list, but the edge goes to Lynch for now. As of Tuesday, Lynch has 28 goals, 17 assists, 22 ground balls and 25 draw controls for the #2 team in the nation. She had a hat trick in the loss to Georgetown plus had two points, a goal and assist, in North Carolina’s 4-2 win over Duke. She has been a big factor on offense and the draw in all of UNC’s games against ranked opponents. But UNC’s placement at #2 will be tested, as Maryland, Northwestern and the ACC Tournament await the Tar Heels.

7. Michelle Tumolo, Junior, Attack, Syracuse

The Orange will be playing nine games in the month of April, and has only played eight games to this point. But Tumolo, who has 17 goals and 15 assists this season, has shown to be Syracuse’s most reliable player in the big games. Already having big performances against Maryland and Northwestern earlier, against Towson she scored five goals with three assists at home. She will need more performances like that to help Syracuse will its upcoming blitz.

8. Maggie Tamasitis, Senior, Attack, Notre Dame

Currently ranked third in the country in assists per game, the all-time assists leader at Notre Dame currently has 35 assists with 13 goals. Her play saved the Fighting Irish against Rutgers with two assists in the final minute of overtime to push Notre Dame to a 13-12 victory on the road. She has been important in the team’s biggest games, getting four assists in a win over Cornell and six points in the defeat to Loyola, the team’s first loss of the year.

9. Jessi Steinberg, Senior, Attack, Cornell

Cornell has been one of the biggest surprises of the year and is looking like a threat in the Ivy League, and Steinberg is a big reason why they are ranked. She is leading the team with 31 goals and 13 assists, and she has been contributing in every big game: four goals and two assists against Notre Dame, five goals versus Penn, and four goals in the win over Princeton. If Cornell can survive against the upcoming stretch of Dartmouth, Loyola and Syracuse, don’t be surprised if its name comes up in May.

10. Josie Owen, Senior, Attack, Virginia

After a loss to Princeton on March 17th, it looked as if Virginia was not going to the NCAA Tournament at 4-4. Four days later, Owen scored six goals with five draw controls and four ground balls in a win over James Madison, and since UVA has won four straight with wins over Duke, Old Dominion and Boston College. Against Duke she had five points with a pair of ground ball and a trio of draw. Owen has compiled 22 goals, 29 assists and 28 draw controls, and helped put the Cavaliers back in the discussion for the postseason.

Monmouth Women's Lacrosse - Call Me Maybe (Carly Rae Jepson)