Despite a tense first half that left players and spectators alike on the edge of their seats, St. Joe’s girls soccer pulled through with a 3-1 win against Brien McMahon.
McMahon was coming off of two wins, a 2-0 victory against New Fairfield and a more recent 6-0 win against Bridgeport Central.
The win for St. Joe’s is its 13th consecutive win.
The first half was aggressive yet ultimately uneventful for St. Joe’s and the score was 0-0 for the majority of the half.
Over five corner kicks were made during the half. With 18:43 minutes remaining in the half, St. Joe’s had two shots, both of which were blocked.
Coach Nogueira urged his team to get to the ball and speed up the game as much as possible. The team’s offense was playing slow, but they had to urge movement in order to be able to score. They were also struggling to judge balls in the air and orient their team to properly receive them.
With under 15 minutes remaining, junior left wing Sara Parker made a shot that was blocked.
With 11:50 minutes remaining, senior center attacking midfielder Taylor Jenkins made a shot that bounced off the post.
At this point, Coach Nogueira was encouraging his team to “play the simple ball.”
With 3:18 minutes remaining in the first half, Brien McMahon scored.
Down 1-0, St. Joe’s was feeling the pressure, especially since ity were not used to trailing in the first half.
With two seconds left, the Cadets tried to score, but an attempted shot bounced off of the top goal post. Leading into halftime, St. Joe’s had to think hard about how to turn its game around.
However, thanks to communication and focus, St. Joe’s was able to score early in the second half.
With 37:34 minutes remaining, sophomore right wing Julia Nunes made an assist to junior center forward Alexa Pino, who scored. The ball bounced off the side bar and fell into the back of the net, and with this goal came a newfound burst of energy and hope for St. Joe’s.
The rest of the second half was very aggressive. With around 36 minutes remaining, McMahon made a kick from the 30-yard line, which was blocked.
Just a few minutes later, Parker made a shot that missed. Minutes after that, Jenkins also shot, and it was blocked. At least four other consequential shots were blocked or missed. St. Joe’s was working hard to make space and push their offense upfield.
With 24:33 minutes remaining, Pino made an assist to Nunes, who scored and brought the score to 2-1. This dynamic viewed that of which caused the first goal for St. Joe’s, and this team’s chemistry is undeniable.
With 19:13 minutes remaining, Jenkins scored off a ball that bounced off the McMahon goalkeeper’s hand and wedged behind the upper post of the goal. She secured St. Joe’s with a score of 3-1.
During the remainder of the second half, at least two shots were taken, and Pino had two corners. St. Joe’s did a nice job of forcing the ball into their attacking half in order to make as many opportunities as possible.
With 6:45 minutes remaining, Pino had a kick that missed the goal by about a foot. St. Joe’s made another shot with under 3 minutes remaining that was blocked.
The final score of 3-1 was a reminder to St. Joe’s that it is possible to overcome obstacles and come back from a rocky start with communication, perseverance, and determination.