RICHMOND — Troy Kendrick had a simple-sounding game plan for Tuesday’s matchup with St. Dominic Academy. The Richmond head coach didn’t want to let Avery Lutrzykowski score, which is what she did twice in a Saints win in the first meeting between the teams this season.
The Bobcats achieved that goal, shutting Lutrzykowski out, as well as St. Dom’s as a team, for a 2-0 win in a cross-class girls’ soccer game.
“We were really in kind of a defensive formation, Kendrick said. “I had five kids holding most of the first half.”
Where Kendrick thought he could attack the Saints (5-6-1) was from the wings. That worked for both of the Bobcats’ (7-3-2) goals, which came in very different forms.
The first goal came nine minutes into the game, when Abby Johnson crossed into the box from the left side. A clear attempt by the St. Dom’s defense went to the worst place possible — the back of the net, accidentally — for an own goal.
“You just tell the girls ‘if you’re putting pressure on, if you got the ball in their box, sometimes things like that happen. You get a penalty kick, or you get an own goal, or you get a deflection. So just keep working, keep working, and you hope some bounces finally go your way,'” Kendrick said. “I just thought that was a chance where we wouldn’t let the ball out of the box and eventually it got … in for us.”
That score stood at halftime, with the Bobcats putting a few more shots on goal, while the Saints didn’t put any attempts on frame in what coach Patrick Keary called a “shocking” performance.
“I don’t think we came out at all. And I don’t think that was half as good as what we’ve been capable of this season,” Keary said.
The Saints came out with better energy in the second half, and more possession in the Bobcats’ end, but their first — and only — shot on goal in the game came with three minutes left off the foot of Emily Wallingford. Lutrzykowski and Riley Stebbins both had multiple shots go wide in the game.
By the time Wallingford placed a shot high on Richmond goalie Sydney Tilton the deficit had grown to 2-0. The Bobcats doubled their lead with 8:28 remaining, coming on another cross into the box. The second time around the goal came off the foot of a Richmond player. Destiny Anair’s cross from the right was one-timed by Ashley Brown past St. Dom’s goalie Hannah Kenney.
“We’ve really struggled finishing,” Kendrick said. “That’s why the girls were so happy to — Ashley finished that cross off, kind of the insurance goal there.”
Kenney made four saves for the Saints, including three in the first half to keep the game close heading into halftime.
“Hannah did well. She’s a great goalkeeper. She’s been great,” Keary said. “She’s capable of making great saves, and she made one at the end (of the game against Caitlin Kendrick).”
wkramlich@sunjournal.com
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