As soon as Georgetown Visitation senior midfielder Alicia Billings committed to play for Notre Dame in August, she immediately turned her attention toward helping the Fighting Irish land another top recruit: teammate Mary Veith.
"I knew Mary was interested in Dartmouth and Notre Dame," Billings said. "So I kept telling her about Notre Dame, and every time she would say something about Dartmouth, I'd say something that began with, 'But Notre Dame. . . . ' "
Georgetown Visitation's Mary Veith, above, who will play in college at Notre Dame with current teammate Alicia Billings, leads the No. 6 Cubs (10-3) with 36 goals and 13 assists.
(Joel Richardson -- The Washington Post)
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_____From The Post_____
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Young Saints march on despite difficult schedule.
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Mount Hebron goes from one big game to another.
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_____Games to Watch_____
Games to Watch
BOYS
Gonzaga at No. 1 Landon, Tuesday, 4:30: The Bears get a chance to avenge last season's 8-7 loss to the Purple Eagles (7-3), their first to a team from the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference.
No. 6 Severna Park at No. 10 South River, Tuesday, 7:15: The Seahawks, entering the rankings this week on a three-game winning streak, begin the toughest stretch of their season.
GIRLS
No. 3 Broadneck at Annapolis, Friday, 5:15: After playing rival Severna Park yesterday, Anne Arundel County champion Broadneck (7-1) continues a tough stretch by facing the Panthers (6-2), who have won five of six.
No. 6 Georgetown Visitation at St. Paul's (Balt.), Saturday, 10 a.m.: The Cubs (10-3) travel to Brooklandville to face the Gators (9-0), who are ranked No. 2 in Baltimore, in the St. Paul's tournament.
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Veith said she didn't take playing with Billings into consideration when she committed to Notre Dame in October, but she is looking forward to continuing her career alongside one of her closest friends. Billings and Veith have been on varsity since they were freshmen and are a major reason why the sixth-ranked Cubs (10-3) are a legitimate contender to win their first Independent School League title in 11 years.
"I think that because they obviously know each other so well it gives them an advantage on the field," Notre Dame Coach Tracy Coyne said. "That advantage should continue when they're in college."
Veith leads the Cubs with 36 goals and 13 assists, with Billings adding 12 goals and 12 assists, to help power an offense that also features juniors Lindsay Gilbride (30 goals, eight assists) and Marissa McGrann (14 goals, 10 assists) and senior Kate Stranix (10 goals, 13 assists).
"Mary is incredibly aggressive and willing to take chances that 99 percent of the time pay off," Cubs Coach Sarah Aschenbach said. "Alicia is a very polished player and has great skills and is very consistent."
The Cubs, who are 1-1 in league play, believe they have a good chance to dethrone 10-time league champion St. Stephen's/St. Agnes (13-0) after a 9-7 loss to the Saints last week -- a major improvement on the Cubs' 12-goal loss last season. The teams could meet in the ISL AA tournament next month.
"I think everyone on our team feels that we can do big things," Veith said. "It wasn't like that before because we had never really been close to beating St. Stephen's/St. Agnes. But we honestly feel we have a good shot if we play them again."
