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.