2008 Woodie Awards
Lady Jaspers Overmatch Saint Peter's in MAAC Opener
Brendan McHugh
Issue date: 10/8/08 Section: Sports
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MC started the game off intensely, and never let up. The Lady Jaspers stole the ball from the Peahens in the first five seconds of the match, and attacked the Peahens' goal for most of the first half. MC took thirteen shots in the first half, compared to only two from Saint Peter's.
Three minutes into the game, MC had a series of crosses and headers in front of the net, but Saint Peter's defense did all they could to prevent a score.
MC's offense kept up the attack for most of the game; it took over thirty minutes before the Peahens were able to settle the ball on their offensive side. The Lady Jaspers won headers, chased down loose balls and overall dominated the physical play of the game.
With twelve minutes left in the first half, freshman Devon Lutz launched a shot from thirty yards out to the top right corner of the net to give the Lady Jaspers a 1-0 lead. Lutz was temporarily left undefended and took full advantage of the situation to score the first goal of her collegiate career.
Less than four minutes later, another freshman, Megan Lavecchia, found herself in a similar situation when she pulled the trigger on a shot in the same area. Lavecchia was momentarily left unguarded when she fired away on her first career goal. The bullet shot from the Lady Jasper found its way over the Peahens goalie, Leigha Ashmen, to put the Jaspers up 2-0. Lavecchia's goal was assisted by junior Alex Konneker.
Saint Peter's had one last opportunity in the first half to stage a comeback, but a great defensive stand by senior co-captain Brittany Duhamel kept Saint Peter's Alex Keddie from getting the ball to the middle of the field. Duhamel and the rest of MC's defenders shut down the Peahens offense for the rest of the night.
However, the Lady Jaspers came out in the second half much differently than the first. Saint Peter's began to control the ball, and gain momentum. It was not until a small clash between MC's Caroline Morse and the Peahens' Ashmen eight minutes into the half that the Lady Jaspers returned to their first-half form.
MC resumed their role as the more physical and quicker team, but was unable to tack on any more goals. Excellent defense by Saint Peter's stopped every breakaway and one-timers the Lady Jaspers had. The Peahens kept the pressure on in the second half, and limited the amount of good shots MC could get on goal. Although the Jaspers out-shot St. Peter's 22-4 in the second half, MC did not have many quality shots.
The Lady Jaspers' best chance came with fifteen minutes left in the game when Morse, who led the team with ten shots, fed a pass to a racing Michelle Miyaki, only to have Miyaki sail a shot above the goal.
Saint Peter's only serious scoring attempt of the half came with two minutes left in the game. Samantha Lockhart sent a direct kick right into the hands of Jasper goalie Alyssa Bachowski. Bachowski rolled the ball to Christine Reina, who took it up the sideline and ended the Peahens scoring threat for the game.
Bachowski recorded her first career shutout, recording three saves over ninety minutes.