LIVONIA, Mich. - Marian (IN) took control in the opening quarter and never let go Saturday, defeating Madonna 16-3 in a league matchup after building a 6-1 lead in the first 15 minutes.
The decisive stretch came early. Marian opened the scoring on Ella Grace Giedd's goal at the 10:32 mark of the first quarter, then kept piling on until Taleah Nool scored with 40 seconds left in the quarter for a 6-1 advantage. From there, Marian added four more goals in the second quarter, three in the third and three in the fourth to finish off the win.
Madonna generated 14 shots and put 10 on goal, but spent much of the day trying to keep pace after the fast start. Danielle Turner accounted for two of the Crusaders' three goals, converting both of Madonna's free-position opportunities, including a fourth-quarter score that trimmed the deficit to 13-3 with 14:04 remaining. Madonna's other goal came in the third quarter, and the team finished with one assist and five draw controls.
Marian's offense was balanced throughout. Nool finished with three goals and two assists, Alex Dean had three goals and one assist, and Delaney Koles added three goals and an assist. Giedd contributed two goals and three assists, helping drive a Marian attack that produced 16 goals on 40 shots, including 31 on target. Marian also converted two power-play goals and won the draw-control battle, 13-5. Dean led that effort with five draw controls.
In goal, Olivia Vitantonio kept Madonna from an even wider margin with 15 saves while facing heavy pressure for nearly the entire game. Marian goalkeepers Aniyah Jones and Addison Marsh combined for seven saves on 10 shots on goal. The Crusaders were charged with 21 turnovers and collected 11 ground balls, while Marian finished with 17 ground balls and 13 turnovers.
Marian's final push came in the closing minutes. After Turner's free-position goal early in the fourth quarter, the visitors answered with three more goals, the last coming from Koles with 3:45 left off an assist from Giedd to set the final margin at 16-3.