St. Ignatius rallies from five-goal halftime deficit, falls to Cathedral Catholic 13-12 in overtime

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - St. Ignatius opened its spring break trip Wednesday night with a dramatic comeback, erasing a 7-2 halftime deficit before Cathedral Catholic escaped with a 13-12 overtime win at Manchester Stadium.

The Wildcats pushed back into the match after a difficult first half and eventually forced the extra period, but Cathedral Catholic finished the one-goal game after controlling possession for long stretches. The hosts won the FO battle 19-8 and held a 34-24 edge in shots on goal, a difference that loomed large even as St. Ignatius matched Cathedral Catholic with 19 groundballs and posted an 86% clear rate.

St. Ignatius still generated great offense when chances came. Michael McManamon led the Wildcats with 1 G, 4 A, 5 P, while Peyton LaRue added 3 G on 3 S and Oliver Golebiewski scored 3 G on 4 S. Zander Boland contributed 2 G, 1 A, helping fuel the rally from the five-goal halftime hole deficit. The Wildcats finished with 12 G on 24 S, consistently making Cathedral Catholic pay when possessions turned into clean looks.

In goal, Brennan Reilly kept St. Ignatius within range as Cathedral Catholic kept pressing. Reilly faced 23 SOG and recorded 10. Cathedral Catholic put 16 of its 34 S on goal and repeatedly created chances off faceoff wins, but Reilly's work in the cage helped give the Wildcats the opportunity to storm back and extend the game.

The Wildcats' defensive work also gave them a path back into the contest. St. Ignatius finished with 5 forced turnovers, 19 ground balls and 3 man down stops, while both teams came up empty on extra man advantage chances. St. Ignatius went 0-for-2 in extra man situations, Cathedral Catholic 0-for-3, and the nearly identical clear numbers, 12-for-14 for St. Ignatius and 11-for-13 for Cathedral Catholic, kept the game tight once the Wildcats settled in after halftime.

Although the comeback did not carry through to a win, St. Ignatius turned its first game in San Diego into a competitive finish after trailing 7-2 at the break. The Wildcats showed enough balance on offense and enough toughness defensively to force overtime against a very good Cathedral Catholic Team.