Grace May's 35th-minute goal turned out to be all St. Pius needed, carrying the girls to a 1-0 win over Blessed Trinity for their second consecutive Class AAA soccer title and fifth in sixth in years.
It was a game dominated by defense, with scoring chances at a premium, as the Region 6 rivals jockeyed for position in the middle of the field most of the game.
May took advantage of a rare multi-player attack on the goal, gathering a rebound that nearly went in, spinning and firing high to beat the Blessed Trinity goalie.
“It was really bouncing around, but our one-touch, two-touch, that’s what was getting past them,” May said. “Their keeper’s really quick and really good. We knew we had to shift her side to side if we wanted to get it past her.”
The Titans (15-4-1), on the other hand, had no such luck against a stifling Lions defense that kept a potent Titans offense away from the box and held them to just two shots on goal.
When Blessed Trinity did get the ball near the box, neither of their shots forced goalie Sarah Chin to move laterally for the save. With the Lions’ athleticism on defense, there was nowhere for the Titans to go with the ball.
“We just kept putting pressure on,” St. Pius coach Sara Geiger said. “We have so much speed that, sometimes when we make a mistake in the back, they’re not able to capitalize on it because of sheer speed.”
The best chance the Titans had may have come with 22:40 left in the first half, when Cameron Cox got the ball deep into the box and chipped it up as Chin came toward her, and the ball went over Chin’s head. Cox couldn’t get back to the ball, though, and it bounced harmlessly out of bounds to the right of the net.
Meanwhile, the Lions offense made Titans goaltender Meredith Carson work a bit, particularly in the first half, with St. Pius (20-3) ultimately outshooting Blessed Trinity 13-2.
She had to make a diving save on a shot from Amanda Vocelka in the 8th minute, and a rolled corner kick turned into a great opportunity for the Lions with 3:10 left in the half, forcing Carson to bat the ball away while lying on her back.
It all could become routine for St. Pius, with five titles in six years now, but the celebration on the field wasn’t muted. And, as a senior, May said it’s still special to her.
“This one means the most to me since it’s my senior year,” May said. “But it’s amazing every year. It never gets old. Each year is so different, and each team is definitely unique. We’ve prevailed this year.”
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