Notre Dame wanted to come out strong in its game against Hopewell Valley on Monday afternoon, and the Irish executed their game plan to perfection.
Notre Dame jumped out to a commanding 9-0 lead after the first quarter, effectively taking the wind out of Hopewell Valley’s sails, en route to a 16-6 victory in a Colonial Valley Conference Colonial Division matchup.
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It was the second-straight win for the Irish after an 18-9 loss to No. 5 Haddonfield on April 15, and put them at 1-1 in the division behind No. 11 Allentown and Princeton.
“We knew that we had to get a big win because they’ve had a great season, so we knew that we had to come out strong, which we did,” Notre Dame’s Grace Koziol said. “Our main goal was to come out strong, get a good lead so we could settle and play our game.”
Notre Dame almost scored a goal a minute in the first quarter and led 9-0. Hopwell Valley opened the second quarter with goals from Logan Mullowney and Katie Reinhart to cut it to 9-2 with 9:10 remaining, but the Irish closed out the quarter with three goals to take a 12-2 lead at halftime.
“I just wanted us to get out there and hustle and be done with the game in the first quarter, and that’s what we did,” Notre Dame’s Michaela Driscoll said.
Both sides scored three goals in the third quarter as Notre Dame led 14-5, and both scored one goal in the fourth quarter for the 16-6 final.
“I think it was just our start, we came out really strong, we had a tough game on Thursday so we kind of bottled that energy,” Koziol said. “Our talking has been really great and Riley Carr, our goalie, she’s been fantastic. Our defense, we are a very close group so we talk all the time on and off the field, so I think that is what’s helped us the most.”
For Hopewell Valley, which was held to its lowest point total of the season, the loss snapped a six-game win streak after the Bulldogs opened the season at 8-1.
Despite the loss, Hopewell Valley is off to one of its best starts in recent memory. The Bulldogs haven’t finished with a winning season since 2022, when they went 9-8. They won five games in 2023, and last season, in head coach Sara Wagner’s first year back as head coach, won six.
This year, they started the season at 2-0 before an 11-9 loss to Princeton on April 2. From there, the Bulldogs won six-straight games and had averaged 13 goals a game prior to Monday’s loss.
“I think the expectation was just to play to our best ability. We knew it was going to be a tough game, they’re a good team, they’re a fast team,” Wagner said. “We hadn’t played a team that was that fast yet, and as coaches we’ve seen that so kind of helping them understand, ‘Hey this is going to be tough,’ while keeping their confidence and self esteem. So after the game we talked about what do we need to work on?
“But good for them to enjoy the beginning stretch too, where they were having success in terms of wins and losses and scoring goals. So we knew this was coming and we know the rest of our schedule is going to be just as challenging, so how do you get better, how do you compete.”
For Hopewell Valley, Lacey Mauldin led with two goals and one assist. Mullowney scored twice, while Riley Kerr and Reinhart each added a goal. Freshman goalie Lexi Jones made eight saves.
Seven different players contributed offensively for Notre Dame, with Driscoll leading the way with four goals and three assists. She recorded her 100th career point with 10:46 left in the third quarter to give the Irish a 13-2 lead.
“I didn’t know if I was going to achieve it today but I’m very grateful I did,” Driscoll said of the milestone. “It feels good, I feel like I owe a lot to my team. They made sure I was going to achieve this goal and they made it happen, so I give it all to them.”
Reese Parker contributed four goals and one assist, while Aubrey Davis finished with a hat trick and two assists. Capri Valentino contributed one goal and five assists. Kate Moog scored twice while Carr posted 10 saves.
“I think our team work today was way better than it has been,” Koziol said “We were passing, we were moving. It was an always us mentality as we say, instead of taking one person and doing it all, so that was really good.”
Lauren Knego may be reached at [email protected]. Follow her at @laurenknego
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