Dialog reporter
WILMINGTON – Abby Manning had six goals, while Kiva Walsh added four goals and five assists, as Tower Hill overcame an early deficit to overwhelm St. Mark’s, 18-6, in nonconference girls lacrosse on Friday afternoon. It was the Hillers’ sixth straight win after two losses to open the season.
The Hillers, ranked fourth in the state by DelawareSportsZone.com, wasted little time getting on the board, with Maggie Podolsky opening the scoring on a nice pass from Sophie Peipher just 95 seconds into the contest. A few minutes later, after a pair of goals by the Spartans Kendra Schweizer and one from freshman Megan Noonan, they found themselves in an unusual position – trailing. Noonan netted the go-ahead tally, beating Ellie Wakefield with 18:10 to go in the first half. It was the Spartans’ third goal in a minute and a half, wiping out an early 2-0 Hillers lead, but they would not score again for nearly 15 minutes.
Tower Hill came back with a vengeance, scoring almost at will throughout the remainder of the first half and most of the second. After Noonan’s goal, Tower Hill tallied five straight and nine of the next 10 to take an 11-4 halftime lead. The Hillers dominated the faceoff circle and used their speed to take the game to St. Mark’s, and the Spartans could not maintain the early pace.
Manning tied the game at three when she got one behind Spartans goalie Katharine Giannaras. She found the back of the net again to put her team in the lead midway through the half. With 11:42 to go, Walsh split two defenders who missed stick checks, giving her a clear path to the net. She did not miss. The offensive onslaught continued until the final seconds of the half. A shot missed the net, but Isabel Zungailia was the Hiller-on-the-spot, collecting the loose ball just to the right of the goalie and flipping it into the net for the 11-4 lead.
The Hillers’ scoring prowess picked up immediately after halftime, as Taylor Stenz made it 12-4 just 18 seconds into the second. Tower Hill scored the first six goals of the half – giving the hosts 10 straight overall – until St. Mark’s was able to add on a few in the game’s final minutes.
Zungailia finished with three goals, and Brianna McCoy had two to supplement Manning and Walsh. The Hillers finished with 27 shots to 13 for St. Mark’s. They return to action on Tuesday, welcoming Archmere for a 3:45 p.m. start.
Schweizer scored five times for St. Mark’s, which dropped to 3-4. The Spartans are off until April 30, when they travel to Concord. Game time is 1 p.m.
