Even reigning state champions can get a little nervous come playoff time.
“Every first playoff game everybody is tight,” said St. Anne’s-Belfield girls soccer coach Mark O’Donnell. “All we said at halftime was that it seemed like we were playing not to lose rather than playing to win.”
The Saints shook that off in the second half though and rolled to an 8-0 victory over Covenant in the first round of the League of Independent Schools tournament.
With the win, STAB advances to face the winner of the Trinity Episcopal/Steward matchup in another quarterfinal.
STAB, seeded second in the LIS bracket, scored twice in the first half to built a 2-0 lead, with Maddy Brayman and Haley Kent each notching a goal. But the Saints didn’t really get into a groove against seventh-seeded Covenant until Lexi Mallory kickstarted the offensive attack in the second half with a relentless set of runs toward the goal.
“They did not have an answer for her — you talk about trying to solve something,” O’Donnell said. “She’s not just fast for one or two sprints, she’s fast for like 15 or 20.”
Mallory scored twice, and helped open things up for Kent to be even more productive. Kent scored twice after the break to complete a hat trick, including an authoritative play on a rebound off a Mallory attempt.
“Her first three or four shots weren’t even on frame and then she just started to calm down,” O’Donnell said.
Brayman had another goal late in the second half and Betel Melaku Mulugeta capped the scoring for the Saints with their eighth and final score.
STAB, currently ranked No.4 in the VISAA’s Division I, is in position to host a state quarterfinal currently. The Saints will host the TES/Steward winner Tuesday.
