St. Joe’s pulled off another thrilling win, knocking off #4 ranked The Prairie School 3-2 in a match the Lancers hosted at Carthage College. The match pitted two unbeaten teams in the Metro Classic Conference, with first place on the line. The Lancers scored 3 unanswered goals in the second half after the Hawks built a 2-0 lead. Senior Jayden H, better known for her time on the hardcourt, scored 2 goals, including the game winner in the 69th minute off a crossing assist by fellow senior Martina H. 

Coach Gino Alia: “Jayden made some great runs, and they paid off. Her game winner was a 100% effort goal where she re-directed a perfectly placed ball. A great athlete who made a great play.

Jayden wasn’t the only difference maker in the match. Senior goal-keeper Maricela O (also a last year, first year player for the Lancers) chalked up 9 saves, including a few “how did she do that”-type saves. “Maricela was admittedly nervous, but she delivered. She’s been playing with growing confidence and made some incredible plays. At her core, she’s a competitor and trusted her instincts. It’s a different ride home without her performance.”  St. Joe’s defensive line, which included junior Kaitlyn V and senior Camryn K, also played solid after some shaky moments.

The match started with an immediate statement goal by Prairie 5 minutes into the match.  The opening goal held until halftime, with the Hawks leading 1-0. Three minutes into the second half (43rd minute of the match), the Hawks struck again, building a 2-0 lead.  “Prairie tends to play quick, particularly off dead balls and the start of the game and half. We know that, we talked about that, but we still fell victim to it,” Alia said.  The Lancers, however, didn’t wait long to respond. In the 45th minute, Jayden knocked in an Ava R cross to cut the deficit to 2-1. In the 49th minute, Martina was fouled in the box, and then put away the awarded penalty kick to even the match at 2-2.

For the next 20 minutes the teams battled until Jayden’s game winning goal in the 69th minute.  Alia: “This was by far our most physical match [17 fouls were called], but that was expected given what was at stake. Prairie is always tough and is recognized as a high-quality soccer program [Bradford recently tied Prairie 1-1]. Our girls played the right way, didn’t back down, didn’t give up and they earned this win.”

St. Joe’s improved to 10-1 and 5-0 in the MCC. St. Joe’s travels to Racine Lutheran (Pritchard Park, 6:30 pm) Wednesday.