Nora Cox of Delphos St. John’s dribbles against Lima Senior’s Kallie Morgan during Wednesday’s match at Spartan Stadium.
Photo courtesy of Beth Jokinen
LIMA – Defense has been the one constant for Delphos St. John’s this season.
In Wednesday’s non-conference girls soccer matchup against Lima Senior at Spartan Stadium, St. John’s got just enough offense to go along with its stout defense, en route to a 3-0 shutout victory over the Spartans.
“We’ve lost three games by a goal this year. … They were really close games,” St. John’s coach Emma Pohlman said. “They (the three losses) were really good games where we were hanging in there. We just couldn’t get that final push. We’re really looking to get better at closing out those close games.
“We do tend to rely on our defense a lot. Our defense has been strong for us this whole season. We’ve only given up maybe four goals this entire season – six games in. I think, just in general with tonight’s game, it was definitely a stronger first half for us.”
St. John’s (3-3) recorded all its goals in the first half. Junior Ava Hershey had two of those goals.
Less than two minutes into the contest, Hershey scored off a fastbreak as she dribbled past the Lima Senior defense and pushed a shot past Lima Senior goalkeeper Jaislynn Ingram (five saves).
Ten minutes later, Nora Cox booted a shot from 15 yards out that found the back of the net and gave St. John’s a 2-0 lead.
Then, with 10:54 left in the first half, Hershey knocked another ball into the back of the net from close range.
“She (Hershey) was our leading scorer last year,” Pohlman said. “She’s our leading scorer this year. She’s up to 11 or 12 goals this year with six games in.”
For the game, St. John’s had eight shots on goal. Lima Senior (4-2) mustered just one shot on goal.
St. John’s had seven corner kicks, while the Spartans had just one corner kick on the night.
Pohlman said she is trying to give her bench players some opportunities to get some playing time.
“We lost four seniors (graduated last year). So, we have maybe six or seven starters back. That’s what’s nice about getting these games in. We get to see some of these girls who usually don’t get a chance to play much,” she said.
Delphos St. John’s 3, Lima Senior 0
Shots on goal: St. John’s 8; Lima Senior 1
Saves: Lima Senior – Jaislynn Ingram 5; St. John’s – Evie Vonderwell 1
Goals: St. John’s – Ava Hershey 2, Nora Cox 1
Corner kicks: St. John’s 7; Lima Senior 1
