DALLAS -- The Friars stunned the home crowd last night with a 2-0 victory over then top-ranked Ursuline Academy. With the win, the Friars move to number one in the district standings with a 9-3, 5-1 record.

The Bears came out and controlled the better part of the first half and it wasn't until almost halftime that the Friars got their first real chance at goal. Freshman Madison Murphy had a great opportunity to give the Friars a 1-0 advantage going into the half but missed the net. Despite Ursuline playing better the majority of the first half, the score was 0-0 going into halftime with the Friars having the momentum.

The second half showed exactly that, with the Friars breaking the 0-0 tie with a goal from Bella Alamo and an assist from Katie Visintainer. This is Alamo's fifth goal of the season and Visintainer's first assist.

This gave the entire team confidence that not only can they compete with Ursuline, but that they can win in the Bears own stadium, something no team has done all season.

With the entire team on a high, the Friars quickly struck gold again when Ellis Kuntz caught the Bear goalkeeper napping and scored from a long distance to give the Friars the 2-0 lead with 20 minutes to go. This was the sophomore's first goal of the season and it couldn't have happened at a better time.

The Friar defense knew that they would be in one heck of a fight to hold off the Bear attack in the final 20 minutes. They have been a great unit all season and that wouldn't change on Monday night. With a combined five saves from Lily Bracken and Alicia Gonzalez, the Friars were able to hold Ursuline scoreless at home for the first time all season.

The biggest defensive play came from Bailey Romack. With the score still 1-0, the junior defender saved one off the line that would have tied it up at 1-1. That play was a huge part in securing the victory.

With the 1-0 victory, the Friars currently hold the tiebreaker over Ursuline and have now beaten the Bears two seasons in a row.

Next Up:
The Friars travel to Plano to take on Prestonwood on Thursday, January 19th at 6:30 PM. The ladies defeated the Lions back in November 3-1. You can read that recap here.

TAPPS Division 1 - District 1 Standings:
Bishop Lynch: 9-3, 5-1
Ursuline Academy: 12-3, 5-1
John Paul II: 6-2-2, 4-1
Parish Episcopal: 5-3, 2-3
Trinity Christian Academy: 6-7-1, 1-4
Nolan Catholic: 5-7-3, 1-5
Prestonwood: 3-5-1, 1-5

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