St. John's sophomore Maliah Morris ran over for the corner kick she had no intention of taking as the clocked ticked under 10 minutes in Tuesday's Washington Catholic Athletic Conference girls' soccer opener between the Cadets and O'Connell. The Knights were all packed in the penalty box, so Morris directed a teammate to simply tap the ball into play.
The dynamic forward then dribbled in closer to draw the defense and quickly fired a cross toward the goal mouth. Junior Camille Jefferson knocked home the goal that eventually lifted St. John's to a come-from-behind, 2-1 victory. It was a game, Morris admitted, that wouldn't have ended the same way last season.
“We didn’t want to play for a tie,” Morris said. “We wanted to play for a win and that was the difference between us and O’Connell. They just wanted to tie us. We wanted to win.”
No. 7 St. John’s is off to a 3-0 start with a new coaching staff and several impact freshman contributing right away, and Tuesday’s comeback effort could be a harbinger for future success.
The Cadets fell behind four minutes into the second half when O'Connell senior Gigi Foster unleashed a left-footed strike from 25 yards out. But they only seemed more determined by that setback, and Morris began to relentlessly attack the box. St. John's finally broke through when sophomore Gabriella Nastasi poked away the ball from a defender off a free kick and dribbled in alone for a goal.
“I feel like that happened a lot last year: We’d get scored on and just look down, give up,” junior Grace Walsh said. “We’re playing with a little more intensity this year.”
This surge comes with the WCAC title race more up for grabs than usual. League contenders Good Counsel, O’Connell, Holy Cross, Bishop Ireton and Elizabeth Seton have all suffered losses to non-conference foes in recent weeks. Only St. John’s and Paul VI have emerged unbeaten thus far.
The Cadets are of particular intrigue because of their youth under new Coach Jess Baynton, who coached at St. Mary’s-Annapolis the past two seasons. Parents in the stands are still putting names to all the new faces, but versatile freshmen Olivia Reese, Makenna Morris and Camber Hayes are all in the starting lineup already because “they’re in the right places, which makes our team so much better,” according to Morris.
Reese is taking advantage of the attention drawn by Morris, the team’s leading goal scorer. Morris and Hayes have beefed up the St. John’s midfield and defense, so much so that “we don’t treat them as freshmen,” Nastasi said.
“It’s just different,” Morris added. “This year, we’re coming.”
The Big number: 9
Combined goals scored by Huntingtown and Calvert in an exciting Tuesday night duel between two of the top contenders in the Southern Maryland Athletic Confererence Chesapeake division. Huntingtown prevailed, 5-4, when senior Harleigh White scored in overtime.
The Big number, Part II: 1-0
The final score when Arundel upset then-No. 1 Broadneck and snapped the defending Maryland 4A state champion's 23-game unbeaten streak dating back to the start of last season. Alley Keller scored the game's only goal in double overtime and goalie Sabrina Doherty finished with 13 saves.
Player of the week
F Megan Nayak, Georgetown Visitation, Jr.
Nayak had six goals and an assist in three games last week as the Cubs left an early-season mark on the area’s girls’ soccer landscape. The junior scored two goals apiece in consecutive wins over Holy Cross and Elizabeth Seton of the WCAC and then had two goals and an assist in a 4-0 victory over fellow Independent School League member Stone Ridge.
The Post Top 10
Spalding assumes the top spot after five different players registered at least one goal in 3-1 wins over Arundel and John Carroll over the past seven days. . . . Churchill faces unbeaten Blair and Walter Johnson in consecutive games this week. . . . South River beat Anne Arundel rival Severna Park, 2-0, ahead of a showdown with Broadneck Thursday night. . . . Walter Johnson followed up its 4-0 win over Bethesda-Chevy Chase with a 1-0 loss to Whitman Tuesday on a second-half goal by senior Abby Meyers. . . . Midfielder Catherine Pozo-Olano continued Paul VI’s strong start to the season by scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win over Good Counsel to open WCAC play. . . . Seven different players scored goals when Northwest defeated Seneca Valley, 9-0, on Monday.
1. Spalding (6-1-1) LW: 2
2. Broadneck (3-1-1) LW: 1
3. Churchill (2-0-1) LW: 3
4. South River (4-1) LW: 5
5. Leonardtown (5-0) LW: 7
6. St. John's (3-0) LW: 9
7. Walter Johnson (5-1) LW: 6
8. Paul VI (4-0) LW: NR
9. Northwest (6-0-1) LW: 10
10. Georgetown Visitation (5-0) LW: NR
Dropped out: No. 4 O'Connell (2-2), No. 8 Centennial (4-1)
On the bubble: Atholton (5-1), Bethesda-Chevy Chase (2-2), Northern (5-0)
Records through Tuesday.
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