Comebacks clinch state title for Friars

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In a come-from behind win in a game that was tied four times Fenwick upset defending state champion Mother McAuley 11-10 for the state championship title Saturday at Stevenson.

"Words can’t describe what I’m feeling right now," Fenwick's Stephanie Ovalle said. "I'm still in shock that we pulled it off. We were not expecting this whatsoever."

Lisette Calderon led the Friars (28-4), who trailed by as many as five in the first quarter, with four goals. Ovalle had three.

Ovalle tied the game at 5-5 when she scored with 1:56 to go in the second. But Laura Perez grabbed a pass from Chavez to put McAuley (22-8) up 6-5 by halftime.

McAuley’s Meg Nolan scored early in third for a 7-5 lead, but two goals from Ovalle knotted the game again at 7-7.

McAuley went up again 8-7 on Maggie McShane’s goal. Friar Morgan Bonk scored from the left corner with 10 seconds left in the third to tie it at 8-8 and then again early in the fourth, giving Fenwick its first lead at 9-8. Bonk was ejected shortly afterwards.

Assisted by Perez, McAuley’s McShane tied it again at 9-9 when she scored with 4:42 left in the game.

Fenwick’s Katie Tynan passed the ball to Calderon who scored to put the Friars ahead 10-9. Tynan then scored to seal win with 1:56 left to make it 11-9. Nolan scored once more with 12 seconds remaining.

"We started out a little rough ... but we yelled at each other saying, 'We can do this,'" Calderon said. "It feels really good to be state champions again."

McAuley was led by McShane and Chavez with three goals each and Nolan added two. Fenwick goalie Mariclaire Bresnahan had 15 blocks while McAuley’s Genesis Romo had five.

"We came out strong, we came out with heart and that's what counts," said Nolan.