After a slew of close games, the No. 10 John Carroll girls lacrosse team might have thought that phase of its season was over when the Patriots visited neighborhood rival C. Milton Wright on Monday night.
In a nonconference game, they held a 6-1 lead late in the first half and seemed well on their way to a more relaxed evening.
But that was before the No. 9 Mustangs roared back to make it another tight one for the Patriots, who held on for an 11-9 victory.
"We like to make things interesting," John Carroll senior midfielder Caroline Sdanowich said. "But we always come back as a team. They changed their pace, and we just kept playing the same way, but we knew we could play better."
Since pounding Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference rival Garrison Forest, 18-8, to open the season, John Carroll (5-3) has played seven straight games decided by two goals or fewer.
Moreover, two of the Patriots' wins were in overtime, and they lost to No. 12 Severn in triple overtime.
With that in mind, John Carroll was enjoying its big lead built on goals by Sdanowich, Grace Richards, Parker Day and Kelly Reilly until C. Milton Wright freshman midfielder Moriah Snyder scored an extra-man goal on a feed from senior midfielder Haley Alexander to fuel a 4-0 run that bridged the first and second periods.
Alexander scored twice in the final 37 seconds of the first half and junior attacker Kendall Little bullied her way inside to make it 6-5 early in the final period.
Another goal by Richards preceded Charlotte Haggerty's score which was followed by a goal by Sdanowich that restored a four-goal advantage, 9-5, for John Carroll with 19 minutes remaining.
With the Patriots still in charge, 10-7, with more than 10 minutes to go, the Mustangs had one more rally in them. Alexander started it with a spinning move just off the crease for a goal just before she was knocked to the turf.
After a terrific save by C. Milton Wright junior goalie Katelyn Miller denied a Patriot free position, Alexander found freshman Jordan Landsman cutting through the arc to cut the lead to 10-9 with 3:41 left in regulation.
As John Carroll played keep-away in the final minute in an attempt to preserve the lead, Snyder swiped the ball with 30 seconds remaining to give the Mustangs one last try to draw even.
However, a subsequent turnover and Sdanowich's empty-netter at the buzzer secured the victory for John Carroll.
"We had a lot of unforced turnovers," C. Milton Wright coach Brent Ritz said. "We were just sloppier than we usually are, and I don't know why."
Ritz said that Sdanowich was the Patriots' most lethal weapon.
"She played a great game," he said. "I've coached her on some select teams, and she's just a great player."
He also praised Alexander for her role in the comeback bid.
"When we really needed her to step up, she did," he said. "She wasn't playing great in the beginning, but then she really started to improve."
John Carroll coach Abbey Swift said the rivalry reminded her of her playing days at Towson High and games against archival Dulaney.
"This was kind of like that," the former UMBC standout said. "The girls were really up for the game."