Cardinals surprise St John’s, 2-1

Coach Marianna Sullivan’s team continues to find the solution so far the past two seasons to one of the WCAC’s premier programs as the Cardinals went on the road a second time enroute to a 2-1 win in the WCAC season opener for both clubs.

The first half goal came off the feet of speedy attacker, Katrina Guillou. St John’s found an answer before the half, when a strange bounce popped out behind the defense and a lucky St John’s player headed it in just out of reach of BI netminder Jess Bobeck.

The girls came out very confidently in the second half, putting St John’s under consistent pressure. When Guillou threatened to score again she was taken down in the box and the ref called for a penalty kick. Freshmen Adrienne Maday was called on and neatly put it away for her first HS goal. With few prep games under their belts, the Cardinals are still working out the details of a new system of play involving a target forward.

“We really need to learn how to find the forwards reliably and not count on them winning a footrace over the opposition’s defense.” The Cardinals’ “Player of the Match” was Helena Barber, who effectively controlled the tempo of the game and disrupted the talented St John’s midfield.

The JV Girls Soccer team won 4-0. In what began to look like a game of keepaway, the JV girls dominated possession and worked on moving the ball effectively. Their calmness in possession gave the appearance of a team that had played together for a long time, even though it was their first match of the season.

“This team has some real standout players who we will be looking at to make the move to the Varsity level. Lots of game time in JV matches, and the masterful coaching from Gino Leon is the best preparation for that transition.”

The Cardinals have a break with the JV tangling with the Lions of Archbishop Carroll on Friday before the varsity gets into the grind of the twice a week routine of WCAC regular season play.