LEE, Mass. -- Outnumbered, outgunned but not without heart, the St. Joseph girls soccer team took its second loss of the year on Friday, a 5-0 decision at Lee.
The Crusaders (0-2-1) had just two players on the bench and few answers against the Wildcats (2-2-1), but St. Joe coach Kate DeMarco was happy with the effort she got from her squad.
"Our numbers are definitely lower, so that's something that's against us," she said. "The girls are very tired. It's a hot day."
And the day got a little longer when one of the St. Joe players went down with an injury, leaving DeMarco just one bench player to rotate in for most of the second half.
"Everyone's feeling pretty beat up at this point," DeMarco said. "That's something that was pretty tough, with so few people.
"They're working really hard. They're very dedicated."
On the other bench, coach Lauren Finnegan had plenty of bodies to work with, since St. Joe did bring a junior varsity squad. Finnegan said it was nice to be able to get some of her younger players a taste of varsity action.
"I think I had seven girls going in, and of those seven, probably five of them won't see much playing time on a varsity level in a really challenging game," Finnegan said. "So it's good for them to get out there and work together."
The Wildcats got two quick goals in the first six minutes to allow Finnegan plenty of time to start working different combinations of her lineup.
Paige Berry set up Amy Goss with a through ball in the third minute, and Goss finished to make it 1-0.
Moments later, Abby Brown finished from up top, just outside the 18-yard box, giving Lee a 2-0 lead.
It was 3-0 at half-time thanks to Goss' second goal, this time on an assist from Karli Retzel on the doorstep.
The score margin could have been even greater if not for the play of St. Joe's Camila Gomez, who made 14 saves in the first half on her way to a 22-save afternoon.
"She had a game," Finnegan said. "She made some really good saves.
"Times we thought the ball was going in, she was punching them out over the top. She sacrificed her body. She did a great job."
DeMarco said that is the kind of play she has come to expect from Gomez this fall.
"This is her first season really starting," DeMarco said. "She's a senior. She's had an awesome season so far. This is our third game, but she's really stepped it up.
"I've been very proud of her this year. She's working really hard."
Lee tacked on a couple of goals after half-time.
First, Kate Delsignor redirected a Maddie Graziano corner kick to make it 4-0. Then midway through the half, Graziano set up Shannon Finnegan with a cross from the right wing, and Finnegan finished to make it 5-0.
Lee travels to face Drury on Thursday. St. Joe goes to Sheffield to face Mount Everett on Monday.
