Paul VI Program Earns 'Springboard' Victory

During Vic Goeller's three seasons as coach at Paul VI Catholic, he has seen enough talent for the Panthers to become a Washington Catholic Athletic Conference contender, but never the confidence. At least not until last week.

The Panthers' 14-7 win over DeMatha on April 8 could be a program-changing victory.

"Not only for this year's team," Goeller said, "but for recruiting and everything else. I definitely believe it can be a springboard for a completely different outlook for our program."

The Panthers were 3-13 the year before Goeller arrived, but they improved to 8-7 in his first season and 12-9 last year. His team entered its game against DeMatha with a 5-3 record, including conference losses to Good Counsel and Gonzaga, but a few recent adjustments have made a significant difference.

Junior Christian Tiedge was moved from the wing to the crease before the Panthers' previous game -- a 12-6 win over Bishop Ireton -- and he scored five goals against both the Cardinals and the Stags.

Senior Josh Brown also moved, going from the midfield to attack, and he recorded a huge goal against DeMatha with two seconds left in the third quarter, giving Paul VI a 9-7 lead. From there, the Panthers shut out DeMatha, which has won 12 of the WCAC's 15 lacrosse championships.

"I think it's a big emotional boost, proving we can keep up with the best in the league," said four-year varsity starter Kevin Righi, who had five goals and three assists against the Stags. "PVI hasn't been on the map since I've been at the school until this year. And we feel with the players we have right now, we can win a championship."

Potomac School Rolling

Ryan O'Shea scored a season-high eight goals to lead the Potomac School girls' team over Sidwell Friends, 18-7, Tuesday in Northwest.

"There were so many passes going on, and my team just made me available," O'Shea, a senior, said.

Potomac School's field was unavailable because of rain, so the game was switched to Sidwell's turf field.

Still, O'Shea, who will play for Stanford, knew it would be that kind of day when she fired one past the goalie eight seconds into the action.

"That set the tone," O'Shea said.