LYNN — Behind a pair of first-half goals, the St. Mary’s girls soccer team walked away with a 2-1 win over Catholic Central League opponent Arlington Catholic Monday afternoon at Manning Field.
Junior forward Kayla Demers and sophomore midfielder Susannah Cornell each scored a goal to lift the Spartans’ offense. Junior defender Riley Lynch dished two assists. Sophomore goalie Eliza Brown made five saves, helping lead an impressive St. Mary’s defensive effort that kept the Cougars off the scoreboard during the second half.
“We had some great chances, we just have to be able to capitalize on our chances,” Spartans coach Jim Foley said. “In our league it’s a battle every night so you have to cash in on your chances when you have them. We had periods where we were playing really well and we had periods where we weren’t.
“We’ll take the two points,” Foley said. “We didn’t play particularly well but a win is a win.”
The Spartans got started on the right foot in the first half. Demers scored the game’s first goal after 20 minutes of scoreless play, giving St. Mary’s a 1-0 lead. Both teams settled down from there, but the Spartans were able to stretch their lead to 2-0 when Cornell fired a shot into the back of the net with 12 minutes to play in the half.
“If you can come out and put the pressure on any team by putting the ball in the net, they have to play from behind,” Foley said. “When you have to play from behind that’s tough, especially in soccer. We have a very good defense. Usually if we go up, we’re able to stem the tide which we were able to do.”
With a two-goal deficit, Arlington Catholic’s offense came to life just before the close of the first half. Sophomore forward Katherine O’Donovan’s goal with 6:15 to play before halftime brought the Cougars back into the game. The Spartans led 2-1 at the midway break.
The second half turned into a defensive battle. St. Mary’s, looking to put the game out of the Cougars’ grasp, sent a handful of shots in Arlington Catholic goalie Jenna Markwarth’s direction. Markwarth, a sophomore, stood tall in net during the second half to keep Arlington Catholic within one goal of the Spartans.
“(Markwarth) played a good (second) half,” Foley said. “She made some good plays but we have to capitalize. She’s a good goalie but we have to capitalize when we get chances.”
Arlington Catholic, on the other hand, couldn’t get anything going on St. Mary’s half of the field. The Spartans held onto their one-goal edge for the 2-1 victory.
With the win St. Mary’s improved to 3-1, 1-1 in CCL play. The Spartans visit Austin Prep for another CCL tilt Wednesday afternoon (3:45) in North Reading.
“Austin Prep’s good,” Foley said. “They’re ranked in the Top 20 in the state. They’re a good team, a good program. (Austin Prep coach) Tim (Phelan) does a good job. It’s always a battle when we play them. It’s a rivalry game. They’re undefeated so that should be a good test for us.”
