With just one starter gone after making to the VISAA Division 2 championship in 2009, Covenant started off its 2010 with a bang on a remarkably hot Monday by drubbing St. Gertrude 7-0.
“Since the preseason began, this team had been working their hearts out,” said Eagles coach Katie Lavie. “It’s incredible.”
It certainly showed. Lavie’s team dominated the contest from start to finish, holding the Gators without a single shot and instead setting up shop in St. Gertrude’s defensive end for almost the entirety of the game.
“(Maintaining constant possession) was because of our defense, they don’t just lay back there,” said senior Maddie Thornton. “They’re active up front. They never give up and pushed the ball up front.”
Yet while Covenant poured the shots on in the first half, the Eagles found themselves up just 2-0 on a goal from Virginia Dittmarr off a Virginia Hill pass and another goal from Thornton off a Taylor Brown assist.
“In the second half we finally started stringing our passes together,” Hill said. “Things started flowing from there. We started clicking. When we connect it all works really well.”
Brown soaked up Gator defenders with her ability to get to the middle of the field and rip off hard shots. The Covenant forwards took advantage of the defense cheating Brown’s way and five minutes into the second half an unassisted goal from Hill and another score from Dittmar had the Eagles way out in front. Hill, Dittmar and Thorton each added one more goal to round out the scoring.
“It’s great having a scorer like Taylor,” Lavie said. “But Taylor is really smart too and knows how to make this team better. She can dodge an entire team and score, but she also uses her teammates to their full potential.”
Dittmar, a sophomore, led the way with a hat trick. Hill had a pair of goals and a pair of assists. Thorton netted two goals. Brown was the top passer with three assists.
The Eagles outshot the Gators 27-0. They also enjoyed a health 18-0 advantage in short corners, acquiring nine in both halves.
Covenant (1-0) hosts St. Anne’s-Belfield on Friday at 4:30 p.m.
