NDP was ready for a rematch. A rematch for last year’s IAAM A Conference championship game and a rematch for a game earlier in the season where NDP had come close in overtime to ending McDonogh’s girls’ lacrosse nine year winning streak.  

NDP came into the game confident, not letting past losses to McDonogh get to their head. NDP held the lead the whole game, never letting up. “We came into this game very calm and loose,” NDP coach Mac Ford told the Archdiocese of Baltimore, a website for private schools in the Baltimore area, “…We felt like we were the better team.” 

They dominated from the very beginning, quickly gaining a 2-0 lead at the beginning of the game. Then taking a 5-2 lead, then an 8-5 lead and finally a 10-8 lead to when the game. NDP had command of the game from the start, leading in draws and possession with very few turnovers and NDP’s goalie, Vanessa Stamas, making incredible saves throughout the whole game.  

Going into the game stronger than ever, NDP’s twenty-one seniors knew it was their last chance at a championship title. “It was almost surreal,” NDP senior, Hannah Mardiney, told the Baltimore Sun. “I was out there and when it got to twenty seconds, I think that’s when it started getting really real.” With twenty seconds left, NDP had no trouble holding off McDonogh’s attackers in order to win 10-8 in the IAAM championship game, ending McDonogh’s winning streak at 198 games.  

While pictures of McDonogh’s team crying has been posted on multiple news articles, they’ve decided to reflect on the lost and celebrate the streak. McDonogh’s goalie, Julia Cooper, told the Baltimore Sun, “They’re an incredible team. They put out their best effort and they deserved to win, but I’m proud of my team… and I couldn’t be prouder of the legacy that we’ve left.” 

With the win over McDonogh, NDP is ready to create a new era where they’re the ones with the winning streak. Revealing shirts that say “The Streak Starts Today” it seems as if NDP is out to set a new winning streak record.