St. Joe’s upended #2 ranked Lake Country Lutheran, 4-3, and did so in dramatic fashion.  In a back-and-forth affair, the Lightning managed to tie the match at 3-3 with one minute remaining, apparently leaving too much time on the clock for the Lancers to respond. With 20 seconds left in the match, St. Joe’s junior Elise H placed a perfect shot – a/k/a “the game winner” - just under the crossbar from 18 yards away. Martina H was credited with the assist.

Coach Gino Alia : “It was a hard-fought match, and a great finish by Elise. We talked about playing to the final whistle, and the girls did just that. Definitely a well-earned, and well-deserved win.”

St. Joe’s started the scoring in the 12th minute when Martina scored on a free kick from 20 yards out, a perfectly placed ball that found the left corner of the goal.  Lake Country tied it in the 22nd minute, with halftime seeing a 1-1 score.  Four minutes into the second half, the Lightning took a 2-1 lead.  St. Joe’s sophomore sensation Ava R responded with an unassisted goal in the 50th minute, bringing the score to 2-2. In the 70th minute, Ava scored her second goal, hitting a left-footed laser from 20 yards out, giving St. Joe’s a 3-2 lead and setting the stage for the dramatic finish courtesy of Elise.

The goals, of course, tell one-half the story. The other half was the steady performance of senior defender Camryn K and senior goalkeeper Maricela O.  Maricela is a newcomer to the team, replacing fellow senior Sarah R (all conference, second team as a junior), as Sarah patiently recovers from a non-soccer related surgery. Maricela finished with 8 saves, and also defended 6 corner kicks. “Maricela showed great confidence and composure, and her play made a difference in this match. She has really stepped up and has been a great example of a player putting in extra work and sacrifice for the team.” 

St. Joe’s improved to 8-1 and remains 4-0 in the MCC. St. Joe’s hosts Martin Luther Wednesday afternoon.