By Dylan Butler
After a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to St. Anthony’s last Wednesday, the St. Francis Prep girls soccer team responded with a pair of 1-0 wins, Thursday at St. John the Baptist and Monday over Holy Trinity at Cunningham Park.
“We’re dominating games and dictating the play,” said Terriers head coach John Jenkins. “The defense has played good, the midfield is controlling the game and the forwards have been terrific up there.”
In the win over Holy Trinity, it was Lynne Dunham providing the game-winner 10 minutes into the second half. The forward received a cross from Susie O’Connell and, with her back to goal and a defender marking her, Dunham deked left and right before beating the keeper with a left-footed shot from 12 yards out.
In the one-goal win at St. John the Baptist last Thursday, Terriers captain Fillipa Petruccelli netted the unassisted game-winner after St. Francis Prep (3-2-1, 2-2-1 Nassau-Suffolk Catholic High School Girls Athletic Association) fell to St. Anthony’s 1-0 the day before. Meghan McCallion scored with nine minutes left in the first half and Kathleen Schwartz made 15 saves for St. Anthony’s (4-0).
While they certainly were not happy with the loss to the Friars, Jenkins said the Terriers controlled the pace, something they have never been able to do against the perennial powerhouse.
“We felt we were the better team against St. Anthony’s,” he said. “We dominated the game, but their big guns finally scored. We know we’re able to hold the ball and dominate and we should be right there at the end.”
After playing at St. Joseph in a game scheduled for Tuesday, the Terriers return home Monday to face Sacred Heart, a team St. Francis Prep tied 0-0 Sept. 10. Originally listed as Sept. 28, St. Francis Prep’s rescheduled match with Staten Island power Notre Dame will take place Oct 9.
Reach Associate Sports Editor Dylan Butler by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 143.
