In the first half the crosses weren’t connecting. In the second half, the Hornets found their groove, converting three times on corner kicks in a 3-1 come-from-behind victory.
They made the important adjustment during halftime.
“We got it out more toward the six (yard box) than closer to the goalie, so the goalie wouldn’t get it,” Leavitt sophomore striker Nikki Daigle said. “Sometimes we will pass it back and just hit it (toward the net).”
The Hornets have had trouble finding the back of the net in the early part of the season.
“This whole season, we have struggled to score,” Leavitt coach Chris Cifelli said. “The thing we had to do, the kids had to take charge of it. We had to start playing together and not assuming one player would get through that. (MCI) had a really tough defense, so it would be something we built together and it was going to come off something that two or three players worked to get.”
The second half started like the first when the Hornets missed a header on a corner, but it didn’t take long for the Hornets to start converting. With 6:47 gone in the second frame, Amanda Poulin chipped in a cross off a corner and Victoria DeCoster tied the contest up.
It wasn’t a minute later when the Hornets (2-1-2) took the lead as Nikki Daigle’s header found the back of the net off another corner cross from Poulin. Daigle said she just jumped and hoped for the best in that situation.
“Amanda Poulin does a great job with taking our corner kicks,” Cifelli said. “Victoria DeCoster does too, our corner kicks are something we are pretty strong at. Again, it’s that same thing, the volume, hunting for a goal and Nikki Daigle’s header was a work of art. It really did, it lifted our spirits’ in a big way.”
MCI coach Autumn Pepin thought the momentum swung in Leavitt’s direction after a missed call earlier in the half.
“I didn’t think it hurt that the refs allowed a pass back from a player to the goalie when we had an opportunity to score,” Pepin said. “I think that really changed the momentum, but in the end their ability to finish with their head was really hard to defend.”
Pepin also said her team got a little tired in the second half, and the Hornets had better touch in the second 40 minutes.
MCI (0-5) started to press midway through the second half, Angela Daigle — Leavitt’s goalkeeper — made three key saves to squash any chances of a Huskies comeback. She made five saves on the game.
Her counterpart, Audrey McCannell, made eight saves.
Kristen Morrissette scored her first career with 12:32 to play in the match. The ball was loose in the six yard box when Morrissette netted the goal.
Leavitt dominated possession in the opening half, outshooting MCI 14-4. The Hornets had 30 shots on the game, while MCI had nine
“What was in the back of mind was, we really had to stay positive that we were getting the ball with the chances we were (getting),” Cifelli said. “We couldn’t look at the one they got and getting down on ourselves and maybe going into a shell and start panicking.
MCI grabbed the early lead as Daigle made a save, but Maile Halferty came in hard and put the rebound home nearly halfway through the opening half.
“We have gotten better throughout this season and there’s a lot left in it,” Pepin said. “So, I think if we keep working in the first half we are going to be a competitor in this division.”
nfournier@sunjournal.com
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