Junior midfielder Shannon Collins converted a penalty kick in the 67th minute to lead St. John's to a 1-0 home victory over Elizabeth Seton at Quinn Field on Friday, October 29th.
(Click here for photos courtesy of Ken White - password "StJohn2010".)
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| Photos courtesy of Ken White |
The Cadets earned the penalty when sophomore forward Nia Sena was fouled by a Seton defender eight yards to the left of the visitors' goal. Collins calmly stepped up and buried a strike into the upper 90 section of the goal to give St. John's the lead. It was her second goal from the penalty spot this season and team-leading sixth goal of the fall campaign.
"We fought tooth and nail for this result", stated SJC Head Coach Colin Lennon following the league match. "Both teams played well and deserved points - we managed to will ourselves to win and that showed on the field today, particularly in how we kept the ball and defended in numbers. I'm very pleased with the effort that all of our players put in on the pitch."
St. John's held a determined Seton side at bay with excellent individual and zone defending. Sophomores Lis Parks and Kat Colevas matched Seton's front runners with poise and determination to win balls in the air before they bounced - qualities that the SJC coaching staff demanded of the team during training sessions that led up to today's match.
SJC attacked Seton's back third from the opening whistle and nearly scored in the 5th minute when Shannon whipped a free kick into the attacking third from 30 yards that almost eluded the Seton 'keeper, who was well-positioned on this and other SJC threats throughout the contest. The visitors quickly answered with a threat of their own in the 10th minute when one of their forwards got in behind the SJC back four of Colevas, Collins, Parks and Slark, and sent a screamer towards the far post that whistled past a diving Kirsten Glad (7 saves) and out of bounds for a goal kick.
Seton regained possession in the 12th minute and drew a foul 29 yards from the SJC goal which forced the Cadets into a defensive posture. Fortunately, the ensuing kick was cleared out of the penalty area by junior defender Alison Slark, who played one of her best matches of the season for St. John's. Slark's leadership and positioning frustrated Seton's top offensive threat Mia Walcott, who couldn't separate from tight marking in the SJC midfield or elude the Cadets' back four.
Kirsten Glad made five key saves over a period of 14 minutes in the first half that preserved the clean sheet until the referee whistled for halftime. In the 21st minute, Seton earned the second of its six free kicks off of a foul 23 yards from the SJC goal, and whipped in a shot that Glad tipped off the crossbar and out for a corner. Later in the 26th minute, Seton produced two, quality scoring chances in the run of play that Glad snuffed from point-blank range. She would again be called to duty in the 36th minute when Seton attacked from a central position and played a ball in behind Slark and Colevas that one of the Seton attackers ran onto and fired towards the far post. Glad not only saved this attempt but quickly got up and recovered the ball that had escaped her grasp.
"Kirsten has been tremendous for us in the second half of the season", Lennon said of his junior netminder. "She has kept us in matches and led in a way that has truly inspired our team."
With adjustments made to the defensive shape in midfield at halftime, SJC pounced on Seton with more pressure around the ball, particularly from the 2-person forward duo of Mary Matecki and Sidi Genus. Both players chased down loose balls as well as punts from Kirsten that often took a high bounce off of the FieldTurf surface.
Midfielders Becca, Carli, Lizzie C., Lizzy D., Mimi, Morgan and Nia made key contributions to the team throughout the match, and allowed the backs to combine and keep the ball in the middle third.
The Cadets continued to test the Seton goalie with shots outside of the 18 and came close in the 43rd minute with a dipping strike from Collins that she handled with ease. Junior midfielder Maise McCune had a great look at the goal when Collins delivered an in-swinging cross from a corner kick in the 49th minute. The junior midfielder separated from her mark and rose high to meet the ball but her attempt went over the crossbar from six yards.
Seton would not quit despite possession favoring the Cadets and continued to work through their five-person midfield led by standout Walcott, a member of the Trinidad & Tobago Youth National Team. Seton's best chance of the second half came in the 61st minute when they earned their sixth and final free kick 27 yards to the left of the SJC goal. The entire SJC XI kept their focus and won balls destined for the back post as Alison, Lis P., Maise, Mimi and Najla got to the ball first before their respective marks.
With the victory, St. John's edges higher up in the WCAC standings and closer to one of the coveted top four positions in the league table. The Cadets (11-7-4 overall and 5-4-4 league play) return to Quinn Field on Tuesday, November 2nd for their home finale against Bishop O'Connell, who defeated St. John's, 2-0, at the Arlington school on October 18th. The Cadets will close out the league schedule on Friday, November 5th with a 3:30 PM match at Bishop McNamara.
MATCH STATS
SJC ESHS
Goals 1 0
Shots 9 9
Saves 7 4
CK 6 1
FK 4 6
Fouls 8 9
Offsides 0 2
SJC Goal: Collins (6) 67' pen.
Cautions: Collins 40' (dissent), ESHS #8 (unsportsmanlike conduct)
