The third time was not the charm for St. Joe’s Thursday night. The Lancers beat Prairie in last year’s sectional semifinal, and again in their regular season match up on May 16. Thursday’s match saw that streak come to an end, as TPS scored a 5-2 win over the Lancers. 

The Hawks got on the board first scoring off a set piece in the 19th minute following a hand ball call.  St. Joe’s found the equalizer in the 28th minute when Ava R hit a laser from 25 yards out that found the bottom right corner (assisted by Katie L).  With the match knotted at 1-1, things changed drastically when TPS scored 2 goals in the span of 2 minutes to take a commanding 3-1 head that held to halftime.

The teams exchanged goals in the 70th minute, with St. Joe’s Martina H scoring a milestone goal – her 100th goal for the Lancers (assisted by Jayden H). The Hawks scored a final goal, making it 5-2, with minutes remaining as the Lancers pushed up in an attempt to create some scoring chances. The Lancers finished the season 13-2-1 – its only losses coming to the 2 teams playing in the sectional final Saturday (Brookfield Academy and Prairie).

Coach Gino Alia: “Prairie dominated this match from possession to shots on goal. We were unlucky in that we couldn’t get another going. They were the better team tonight, but there’s not a better group of girls to coach than those on our sidelines. Our seniors gave it their all. They accomplished so much over their time at St. Joe’s and have a ton to be proud of. They are leaving big shoes to fill and have set a high bar.”

Other leading players for St. Joe’s were Katelyn V, Camryn K, Hannah K and Maricela O (12 saves).