Nguyen Breaks Record in Win over St. Joe's
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- When it comes to breaking a record, Mary Nguyen knows how to do it in dramatic fashion.Needing just one point to surpass Heather Malloy as the the all-time leading scorer in the history of the McCann Tech girls' soccer program, Nguyen blew by the mark by scoring four goals in the Hornets' 4-1 victory over Saint Joseph on Wednesday. Nguyen came up big in her team's biggest win of the year so far, helping McCann (12-1) avenge its only loss of the season. The Hornets previously lost to the Crusaders (5-5-1) by a score of 4-0 earlier this month.
Nguyen now has an eye-popping 30 goals this season, scoring her first goal of the game on Wednesday just two minutes into the match. St. Joe's rallied back to tie the game on Keegan McCauley's goal in the 26th minute, and the two teams would go into halftime even at one goal apiece.
Senior winger Alexa Durant played a pivotal role for the Hornets in the second half, however, assisting on Nguyen's next two goals to give the hosts a 3-0 lead 16 minutes into the second half. Nguyen, who blitzed the Crusaders' defense with three goals in a six-minute span in the second half, finished things off by scoring unassisted in the 58th minute.
The McCann defense, which has allowed just three goals overall during its recent five-game winning streak, was strong again on Wednesday. Center midfielder Alex Lincoln, stopper Monique Martel and sweeper C.J. Schleich were strong up the middle, while junior Alex Wood (five saves) made some big saves in the first half with the score still tied 1-1.
Kendall Smith stopped eight shots in goal for St. Joe's, which next plays at Hoosac Valley at 4 p.m. on Friday. The Hornets resume play the same day with a key Tri-County League game at Renaissance at 4 p.m.