Lancers alone at the top Lancers alone at the top (January 28, 2005)

St. Francis hands Mitty first league loss

By Scott Campbell

Protecting a 2-0 lead over undefeated Mitty midway through the second half, St. Francis found itself under siege just a few feet in front of its goal. But even though several Monarchs got their feet on the ball, the Lancers survived by finally clearing it out-of-bounds.

St. Francis would hold visiting Mitty without a shot for the remainder of the game to preserve the 2-0 win, and thus take over first place in the West Catholic Athletic League.

"Nine out of ten times, that ball would have ended up in the back of the net," said St. Francis coach Dawn Hill of the wild scramble. "It just made you feel like it was our day."

From the opening kickoff, it was apparent that St. Francis would own this Jan. 25 showdown that doubled as Senior Day for the team's seven graduating players. The Lancers (11-1-6 overall, 9-0-3 league) prevented the Monarchs from even crossing midfield for the first six minutes.

"Our defense didn't have any action in the first half," said Lancers sweeper Molly Scott, a senior co-captain. "We just stopped them right at the half-line. We were winning every 50-50 ball."

With a boisterous fan base cheering their every move, the Lancers used precise passes and their superior quickness to attack the Mitty goal.

After a few near misses, St. Francis was able to find the net in the 21st minute.

Junior forward Sara Doyle raced behind the Mitty defense to corral a deep pass from senior defender Dani Contro. Although Doyle's shot ricocheted off the Monarch's goalkeeper and a defender, Lancers senior forward April Grolle was perfectly positioned to put the rebound in the net and give her team a 1-0 lead.

"St. Francis wanted it more than we did today," said Mitty coach Gina Eagleson."They came at us, and we weren't ready for it."

Just before halftime, Doyle put the Lancers up 2-0. Freeing herself from a Mitty defender with some fancy footwork, she unloaded a shot into the left side of the net.

Even though Mitty (11-1-6 overall, 8-1-3 league) recovered to play St. Francis to a draw in the second half, it was only able to muster three shots on goal.

With the league and Central Coast Section playoffs fast approaching, St. Francis seems to be peaking at the right time.

"Hopefully, the climax will be when we get to CCS, and we win it all there," said Scott.

St. Francis visits Sacred Heart Prep on Jan. 29 and concludes its regular season at Sacred Heart Cathedral on Feb. 1.

E-mail Scott Campbell at sports@mv-voice.com

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