St. John’s (6-1) has won the past two WCAC crowns, beating the Falcons in last season’s title game. Even so, Good Counsel (8-1) entered undefeated, providing the Cadets with extra motivation.
“We always have a target on our back,” senior Olivia Weston said. “This program has always been good, and even though we have won back-to-back WCAC championships, anything can happen on any given day.”
Despite falling behind early, the Cadets generated the majority of opportunities and earned a slew of penalty corners, at times playing pinball with the leg guards of Good Counsel goalie Zoe Tate. St. John’s had three cracks at an untimed corner after the first quarter ended and rang one off the left post.
Coach Corey Kelly’s message to the team was simple: stay focused and keep shooting.
“We knew that it was going to go in eventually,” said Ally Snyder, a junior committed to Syracuse. “The more shots we put in the higher chance it’s going to go in.”
The breakthrough came with 8:17 left in the first half. The Cadets kept pushing, putting a ball in on goal that the Falcons cleared — onto the waiting stick of Colleen Maloney, who tapped it home.
“Once that shot falls, I feel like then it’s a matter of time of when the next one is going to come,” Kelly said. “One goal is nothing. Go get two.”
The second goal came less than five minutes into the second half, when Anna Arnold blasted a ball in from the top of the shooting circle. The shot bounced into a crowd, trickling through the mass of players for the game-winner.
“We knew it was going to be a hard game no matter what,” Arnold, a sophomore, said. “We always play like we’re down one goal. We never assume anything.”