Episcopal girls overpower Penn Charter in lacrosse

Episcopal Academy senior Julia Hondros may have noticed that the Churchmen left the door slightly ajar just before halftime against host Penn Charter on Tuesday afternoon.

With just 2.3 seconds left in the half, however, Hondros nailed it shut for good.

After Hannah Fox notched back-to-back goals for the previously undefeated Quakers, Hondros, a 5-foot-10 Brown recruit, rushed downfield and fired to give Episcopal a five-goal lead, which it parlayed into a 15-6 victory.

"Clock awareness," said Hondros, who finished with four goals.

"I knew it was getting down so I just tried to run the ball downfield. I was looking for cutters but they were marked pretty tightly. I knew there were only a couple seconds left, so I just tried to hit that top corner and luckily it went in."

A pinch of skill and a dash of genetics helped, too.

Hondros has a blend of size, speed, and tenacity that makes her a multisport threat.

Her father, Paul, a 6-foot-3 guard, played basketball at North Catholic and later at St. Francis.

"I've played basketball for a long time and I play soccer [at Episcopal], so I think they translate a lot," she said. "I think that cross-sport awareness has really helped me in lacrosse."

Katie Crager added a pair of goals for the Churchmen (12-1, 4-0), and Sydney Gagnon stopped five shots.

Fox led the Quakers with two goals (6-1, 3-1).

After seizing the halftime momentum, Hondros and Episcopal built a 12-4 second-half advantage before the Quakers made a final push.

"They had a really great run at the end of the half and that's something we knew about them," Hondros said.

"They're never out of it. They're a team that pushes the tempo every single play. We just had to make sure we controlled the momentum and then try to maintain it."

The road doesn't get any easier for the Churchmen, who will face two-time defending state champion Garnet Valley on Saturday at the Katie Samson LaxFest at Radnor.

Next week will bring a rematch against defending Inter-Ac champion Agnes Irwin, which Episcopal beat earlier this month.

"Work's never over," Hondros said. "We just want to keep grinding."

Episcopal Academy 8 7 - 15

Penn Charter 3 3 - 6

EA: Julia Hondros 4, Katie Crager 2, Colby Gallagher 2, Taylor Lucey 2, Olivia Cunningham 2, Corinne Zanolli 2, Ally Marino.

PC: Hannah Fox 2, Macaul Mellor, Greer Guyer, Alexis Joseph, Emma Wilson.

Saves: EA - Sydney Gagnon 5; PC - Hayley Hunt 4

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