Crusaders Make Chances Count Against Weir
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STEUBENVILLE -- Catholic Central controlled the ball and capitalized on its opportunities against Weir. The Red Riders had their opportunities as well, however, the Crusaders were able to prevent them from finding the back of the net.
Catholic Central tallied two goals in the first half and another in the second en route to a 3-0 victory in the first game of a girls’ and boys’ doubleheader Tuesday evening at Tony Recinella Soccer Field.
“The girls did well,” Catholic Central (2-4-1) head coach Jonathan Hoover said. “We were able to play the ball to space. We did not rush our passes at all.”
The Blue-and-Gold possessed the ball longer than the Red Riders, however, the Red-and-Black were still able to create multiple opportunities.
“We are not going to possess the ball as much as the better teams or most teams,” Weir (1-4-1) head coach Jeremy Angelo said. “When we win the ball, we are looking to counterattack. We are looking to catch teams off guard here and there. We battled. We had four 1-on-1s, and if we were able to put any of those away it is a different game. We weren’t able to take advantage of any of them.
“Catholic Central kept pushing. They kept playing. They were able to get that second one, and they were able to score that third one.
“We are playing hard. We are learning to make the right pass, and then we have to trap it and pass it. It’s the fundamentals. We are working on the fundamentals all year. We have to get stronger and smarter. We have to show up and play.
“We didn’t capitalize on our opportunities, and they did. That was the difference in the game. If we had been able to score, our heads would have stayed up, and we would have played with more emotion and more enthusiasm. We just were not able to score.”
Delaney Dankert tallied a goal and an assist to lead the way offensively for Catholic Central, while Zélie Baillargeon and Gigi Rook each collected a goal.
“We did a very good job of possessing the ball,” Hoover said. “We did a better job of playing the ball out wide and across the field. We have worked with Delaney this season and part of last season. She kept attacking. She was out wide. I was happy she was able to score that goal. Zélie did a good job of staying with the play. She did a good job up top.”
Adalee Long delivered five saves in goal for the girls from Jefferson County.
Bella Weber made 10 saves in goal for the girls from across the river in Hancock County.
“Weir is always tough,” Hoover said. “The games are always hard fought. They play good soccer.”
Baillargeon netted the first goal of the game 13 minutes into the first half. Dankert possessed the ball on the outside of the box, and the senior sent a ball into the box where Baillargeon was able to knock it into the back of the net, giving the girls in blue a 1-0 lead.
Dankert contributed her goal about 20 minutes later to increase her team’s advantage to 2-0. The hosts took a two-goal lead into halftime.
“They possessed the ball in the first half,” Angelo said. “They were able to attack. They were able to get some shots. We did not play the ball in the middle a couple of times. They had numbers up top. At times, we had numbers up top. They were able to play the ball across. They were able to make the pass in.
“We were able to create some opportunities, but we were not able to finish. We are going to keep building.”
Rook capitalized on an opportunity about eight minutes into the second half to extend Catholic Central’s advantage to 3-0.
The girls in the white jerseys created some chances, but Long and the Catholic Central defense rose to the occasion and kept Weir off the scoreboard.
“Adalee made some really good saves,” Hoover said. “We did not do a good job of finding the corner, but she was able to stop them. She was able to save the one that hit the crossbar. That was very big for us.”
Catholic Central is scheduled to play Ridgewood at 5:30 p.m. Thursday evening at home.
“We are playing a tougher schedule this season,” Hoover said. “Playing a tougher schedule will help us have success in the postseason.”
Weir is slated to play Columbiana at 7 p.m. Thursday night on the road. The Clippers are playing their home games on a new turf field this season.
“We are going to go up and see how it goes for us,” Angelo said.
The Wheeling Central boys shut out Catholic Central, 5-0, in the nightcap.