Hurricanes Hold Serve Against St. Joe's
ADAMS, Mass. -- With both Mount Greylock and Drury breathing down its neck in the South Division standings, the Hoosac Valley girls' soccer team couldn't afford a slip-up against Saint Joseph's on Tuesday.Thanks to a defense that collected its fourth straight shutout, the Hurricanes didn't have much to worry about on their way to a 2-0 win over the Crusaders at Renfrew Field. Blair Mahar's club has certainly found its rhythm on the defensive end since back-to-back losses to Drury and Lenox earlier in the month. Since those two defeats, Hoosac (8-2-4, 7-1-1) has now shutout its opponents for eight straight halves, outscoring them 12-0 in the process.
"This game marked our fourth shutout in a row against four of the five teams in the South," Mahar said. "Jess Gale has really found her pace at stopper, making beautifully-timed tackles and runs. Combined with her aggressiveness and communication, our defense has just not allowed anybody to get through to [goalie] Meg [Richardson] in the net. When we do get caught flat, Courtney [Hayer] is always there behind Jess to take care of business. Our defense has come through with four perfect games in a row."
Offensively, the Hurricanes got a goal from senior Ashley Schneider in the first half and an insurance tally from junior Danielle Beauchemin in the second half. Schneider found the back of the net in the 29th minute, settling a cross by sophomore Jen Gale and hitting a hard shot past St. Joe's keeper Kendall Smith (eight saves).
Beauchemin put the game away in the 50th minute thanks to her team-leading 10th tally of the season. Beauchemin took a loose ball in the Crusaders' box, moved past two defenders to create some open space and drilled a shot into the goal to put the game on ice. Richardson only needed to make one save to clinch her seventh shutout of the season.
"Megan Rodowicz and Danielle have also continued to get stronger in the middle, making plays happen for 80 minutes with precise through balls and long balls," Mahar said. "Our team is peaking at exactly the right time as we face off against Drury on Friday for the South."
The Blue Devils and Mounties also won their games on Tuesday to stay within one point of Hoosac in the South Division standings. Each team has one division game remaining, with Greylock hosting St. Joe's on Friday and Hoosac playing at Drury. A lot of different outcomes can happen based on the results, but if the Hurricanes beat their rivals to the North, they will win the South title outright.