USM Girls Soccer Team Victorious

The girls’ soccer team overwhelmed St. Joan Antida and won a Midwest Conference North game by the score of 11-1 Monday at Gordon Park.

The Wildcats wasted little time in scoring.  Junior midfielder Sally James got things started for her team by taking a pass from junior Margot Peterson near midfield and craftily sprinting past the Jaguar defenders.  James moved in on St. Joan Antida’s senior goalie Lupe Mungia from the right and blazed a low shot to the left side of the goal at 3:02.

The Jaguars tied the score briefly at 7:55.  Junior Lida Beccera gained control of a loose ball inside the USM 18- yard box and pushed a grounder that eluded USM’s sophomore goalkeeper Emily Wigdale and hopped along the ground and into the goal.

Less than a minute after the Jaguars had tied it, USM junior Ali Savay ran the ball down the left side and sent a pass into the middle of the penalty area to freshman Amber Baker. Baker quickly unleashed a low shot that beat Mungia at 9:20.

USM made it 3-1 just a minute later. Baker centered a pass to senior forward Paige Costakos, and the Wildcats’ sure-footed goal scorer fired the ball in at 10:19.

The Wildcats’ fourth goal of the afternoon came as the result of well-constructed corner kick play. Baker took the corner and sent an arching pass into the goalie box.  Junior Erika Hurth was moving in, and she and the ball arrived in front simultaneously.  Like a traffic cop, Hurth simply redirected the ball into the net at 12:26.

USM’s fifth goal seemed to be a replay of its first.  Along the right side, James passed the ball to junior Libby Aik.  Aik executed a perfect give and go, sending the ball into space ahead of James who was accelerating forward.  Like a goal-oriented gazelle, James once again outran every Jaguar and sped in on a breakaway.  Once again she gunned a low shot to the far side at 18:12.

The Wildcats added another goal to their side of the scoreboard when freshman Julia Hanson intercepted a clearing pass in the St. Joan Antida penalty area, stepped toward the net, and fired a shot high into the goal at 25:03.

USM soon made it 7-1.  Freshman Chloe Schaefer raced the ball down the left side and crossed the ball in.  It hit a Jaguar defender and bounced to Baker positioned in front. Baker blasted the rebound in at 27:09.

The two USM freshmen changed roles on the next scoring play.  Baker chipped the ball to the fleet-footed Schaefer as she ran down the side.  Schaefer turned in and lazered a low shot past Mungia to give the Wildcats a seven-goal lead at 29:08.

 The Wildcats scored one more in the first half of the game. Off of a throw-in, Freshman Catherine Jacobus ran the ball into the Jaguar’s penalty area. A defender stepped to stop her, and the ball caromed to USM junior Ellie Wigdale who was adroitly heading toward the goal from the right. Wigdale assuredly sent the ball into the net at 36:05.

USM scored its tenth goal less than a minute into the second half.  Like she had been given a birthday gift, Jacobus was awarded a penalty kick.  She pronounced her thanks by lining a low shot to Mungia’s right for the score at 40:51.

The Wildcats made sure the mercy rule would be in effect by taking a ten-goal lead just over a minute later.  Costakos sent a throw-in that bent like the Arc de Triomphe straight to Ellie Wigdale’s foot just inside the penalty area.  Wigdale immediately fired the ball in for her second goal of the game at 41:57.

 Once the clock reached the 60-minute mark the game was over and USM had a well-deserved conference victory.

In the game Mungia made eight saves.  Emily Wigdale made 1 first period save for USM.  Her willing-and-able second half replacement, Peterson, did not have to make any saves.

St. Joan Antida’s record is now 0-8 and 0-5 in the conference.  USM improved to 11-6 overall and 7-1 in the conference.  The Wildcats play another conference contest at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Lake Country Lutheran in Hartland.