In a rematch of last year’s Sectional final, St. Joe’s visited defending state-champion Brookfield Academy Monday night. For the first 40 minutes, the Lancers appeared to have the match in hand taking a 1-0 lead into intermission.  Senior Martina scored her 8th goal of this young season in the 36th minute off an Ava assist.  The Blue Knights, ranked No. 1 in the preseason and first week of Division 4 WSCA poll, responded with 3 unanswered goals in the second half, securing a 3-1 victory.  Before falling behind by the 2-goal margin, St. Joe’s had opportunities to equalize, but struggled to put the ball on frame. The Lancers managed 13 shots, but only 3 on goal.  Brookfield Academy had 9 shots on goal, with senior Sara R saving 6 shots for the Lancers.

Coach Gino Alia: “It was definitely a tale of 2 halves. After the first 15 minutes, we seemed to settle in and play with a level of confidence. With the goal advantage, coming out of halftime we fell into the trap of playing on our heels and almost too cautious.  Brookfield Academy has talented players at all levels [midfielder Claire T, a sophomore All-State player scored 2 goals and assisted in the third], but all of our breakdowns were of our own creation. This was an early test, and a great reminder of the importance of every possession, every opportunity and every minute of the match. It also underscored our ability to compete at a high level.”