John Burroughs tops St. Joseph's to notch eighth win in a row

The host Bombers took control early and never let up, coming away with a 14-9 victory over St. Joseph’s Academy. With the triumph, its eighth in succession, Burroughs improved to 10-3 overall and to 4-2 in conference play. It was the first loss in 15 games for St. Joseph’s (14-2, 5-2), which opened the season with an 11-10 loss to Wentzville and hadn’t lost since.

Late last week, the Bombers knocked off previously unbeaten Eureka 10-9.

“We’re working hard and we’re playing as a team,” Burroughs coach Meghan DiGiulio said. “St. Joe’s is an excellent team — this didn’t feel like a five-goal game — but our girls did a great job at both ends of the field, taking care of the ball and playing Bombers’ lacrosse.”

Key to Burroughs’ win was a balanced attack and the stellar play it received from junior goaltender Sahana Madala, who frustrated the Angels with a number of stops at key times.

“She was outstanding; hands down, she was the difference,” St. Joseph’s coach Grace Zuniga Zagursky said.

DiGiulio added: “Sahana was really locked in. She made a bunch of saves and then she jump-started the offense with her ability to get the ball up the field and into our midfield transition. She really was outstanding for us.”

John Burroughs grabbed the lead on a goal from Reese Rafferty, but the Angels’ Gen Harrison tied it less than a minute later when she converted a pass from Ainsley Hortman.

The Bombers took control from there, scoring the game’s next five goals to go up 6-1. In that stretch, they got goals from Jane Dunaway, Charlotte Petersen-Kopman, Dunaway, Rosalie Tasker Petersen-Kopman.

After Bella Elpers scored to pull St. Joseph’s to within 6-2, the Bombers closed out the half strong to take a 9-4 lead into the break. Burroughs closed out the half with goals from Tasker, Dunaway and Petersen-Kopman.

Janie Jackson and Hanna Jachna scored late in the first half for St. Joseph’s.

“We had our moments, but just not enough of them,” Zagursky said. “Playing from behind is tough, especially against a great team like Burroughs. We haven’t lost in a while and for whatever reason, we struggled to play our game. It’s something we have to learn from and hopefully respond to. I’d love the opportunity to play them again so that we could show what St. Joe’s lacrosse is all about.”

The Bombers maintained control throughout the second half, thanks to back-to-back goals from Peterson-Kopman and Raferty to set a tone. St. Joseph’s got second-half tallies from Horstmab, Abby Gaines, Genevieve Harrison, Jachna and Elpers.

“The defense in front of me was outstanding,” Madala said. “We played with a lot of hustle and heart, won a lot of 50-50 balls and also did a great job of controlling the draws. Our defense did a great job of allowing me to see the ball and I did my job in goal. With every game, our team seems to be playing with more and more confidence. If we keep playing like this, we definitely feel like we can be a factor in the postseason.”

And Madala knows a little about postseason success. A relative newcomer to lacrosse, she’s also one of the state’s premier tennis players. She placed second in doubles as a freshman, reached the quarterfinals in singles as a sophomore and was the state runner-up in singles last fall.

“Coach thought my reflexes and reaction time would translate to goalie and it’s worked out pretty well,” Madala explained. “The eye-hand coordination is a plus, obviously, I’ve worked hard on my positioning in the cage. The pressure’s a little different, but I’m excited to be part of this team. We’ve worked hard to get to this point and we’re hoping to finish the season strong.”

DiGiulio, the Burroughs coach, likes the way her squad has come together this season.

“We’ve worked hard and we’ve worked together, that’s a key,” she said. “A big part of this team, I feel, is our balance. In most games, we’re getting goals and assists from a number of different players and that’s something that makes us a tough team to defend. (Monday), we took control early and we maintained that control for most of the match. Our confidence level is high; we just need to keep playing hard and hopefully carry this momentum into the postseason.”