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Clearfield downs St. Marys
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
By Josh Mlot Sports Writer
HYDE - It was Senior Night for the Clearfield girls soccer team Tuesday, and sophomore B.J. Bowman honored her senior teammates the best way she knew how - by showing them the team would be in good hands when they move on. Bowman found the back of the net three times and two seniors hooked up for a late-game score as the Lady Bisons downed visiting St. Marys, 4-1, at the Bison Sports Complex.
"I think this is B.J.'s third or fourth hat trick of the season," Clearfield head coach Jen Wright said.
"She muscles her way through there and can find the back of the net. That's what you'd expect out of a forward, and she does that very well. In the second half she was very unselfish, getting the ball to other players and getting them opportunities."
The upperclassmen had their moments as well, with Lisa Bumbarger finding Brooke Mohney for a 74th-minute score that set the final result.
Mohney finished with a goal and an assist, and fellow senior Jayme Ryan added a helper.
"We have 10 seniors graduating, and they've all contributed to the program in one way or another," Wright said, "whether it be the varsity program or jayvee program. It was great to have them all out on the field in the varsity game tonight.
"We had one senior score tonight, Brooke Mohney, so that was great. You always try to get your girls goals. Having them out on the field for 40 minutes tonight, it was great to recognize our seniors. They give a lot to the program, playing for four years and pushing themselves and pushing the underclassmen."
Those 10 players - Samantha Boulton, Bumbarger, Taylor Casher, Brandie Centi, Matalica Jarvis, Jessica Maines, Mohney, Katlyn Reddinger, Ryan and Janell Zalno - were honored with a special halftime ceremony that thanked the graduating players for their contributions.
On the field, Clearfield struck quickly, with Ryan pushing a perfect through-ball to the feet of Bowman, who slid the ball home at 2:18 for the first goal.
With the Lady Bisons already on the board, things looked primed for a blowout, but St. Marys answered back quickly.
Just over a minute later a bad touch at the Clearfield back line allowed Lady Dutch striker Sam Kneidel to break into the box unchallenged. She took advantage and sent to a shot into the bottom right corner of the goal mouth to knot things at 1.
That was as good as it got for the visitors. After a mistake led to that goal, the back line sealed up, holding St. Marys to six shots in the game, with few, if any, being truly dangerous.
"I think our defense is always solid," Wright said. "With Brandie (Centi) in goal and Bumbarger at sweeper, they're very solid and consistent players in the back."
The Lady Bison offense continued to click, and at 26:28 the home side took back the lead. Mohney took the ball deep into the right corner before sending an in-swinger to the six-yard box. Bowman was there to send it home with the side of her foot.
Less than two minutes later the bullish striker came through again, running on cleanly as the defense parted like the Red Sea, and slipping an unchallenged shot over the goal line for a 3-1 score.
"A lot of players had a lot of opportunities, some we connected on and others we didn't," Wright said. "We keep working on shooting and finishing, and the girls did well tonight."
The pace of the game slowed in the second half, which didn't do St. Marys any favors. After firing only four shots over the first 40 minutes, the Lady Dutch managed only two over the second 40.
A clearing kick from the back found Kneidel up top for a chance, but Centi made the stop with relative ease. Moments later a St. Marys corner kick set up Brittany Orr for a header, but the ball sailed wide of the goal.
The Lady Bisons, meanwhile, desperately tried to get some of their seniors on the board, with Casher working hard to find some offensive magic, but the finish never came.
Then, at 73:34, Clearfield closed things out in appropriate fashion, as the senior-to-senior connection of Bumbarger and Mohney came through.
With the defender and midfielder, respectively, sliding to forward positions, Bumbarger sent a through-ball as Mohney made a diagonal run into the box. Mohney found herself in behind the defense and finished things off for a 4-1 advantage.
"I think it's great for any senior to score on Senior Night and have something that will be a memory for the rest of their lives," Wright said. "It was nice to be able to get her up top and get her that goal."
Clearfield moves to 5-6-4 with the win, and continues to fight for a playoff spot hosting Brookville on Thursday. Clearfield 4, St. Marys 1
Scoring Summary
First Half
1. B.J. Bowman, C, (Jayme Ryan), 2:18.
2. Sam Kneidel, SM, (unassisted), 3:46.
3. Bowman, C, (Brooke Mohney), 26:28.
4. Bowman, C, (unassisted), 28:16.
Second Half
5. Mohney, C, (Lisa Bumbarger), 73:34.
Shots: St. Marys 6, Clearfield 16.
Saves: St. Marys (Becky Aul) 7, Clearfield (Brandie Centi) 4.
Corners: St. Marys 2, Clearfield 2..
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