After 30 minutes of scoreless play, St. Joe’s needed a change. Specifically, senior Martina H needed to get into her old, more comfortable cleats.  The Lancers substituted out Martina, who made the change and sat patiently for a dead ball to re-enter the match.  Nine minutes later, and with a minute left before half, Martina re-entered the match.  On cue, junior Ava R connected with Martina, who blew past the Cavaliers back line, and found the back of the net giving the Lancers a 1-0 lead.

Coach Gino Alia: “Apparently shoes do make a difference. The only bit of coaching involved in that play was Assistant Coach Raul Chavez-Gutierrez moving quickly to find the old cleats and having them on the ready.  It was a tremendous effort by Marti, and one we needed before half.”

Martina added an insurance goal in the 63rd minute, heading in a perfectly placed corner kick from Ava. The Lancers dominated possession and shots (28 shots, 7 corner kicks, 10 shots on goal, compared to 3 shots for Thomas More), but struggled to connect on frame and finish.  Despite the challenging match, the Lancers showed that they could step up (cleats included) when it mattered most.

The Lancers back line of Kaitlyn V, Daniella B, Hannah K, and Camryn K also turned in a solid performance.

St. Joe’s improved to 7-1, 4-0 in the MCC.