The girl’s soccer team is off to a solid start, kicking off the season with a five game winning streak. Yesterday, they destroyed Duchesne 2-0 with goals scored by senior Madison Miller and freshmen Jess Grayek.

Opening day did not disappoint as the girls grabbed their first win against Notre Dame in a thrilling overtime match. The game-winning goal was one of the more interesting scored so far this season. A sideline throw-in from senior Bri Morrow deflected off a Notre Dame defender right into the back of the net, giving the Crusaders the 3-2 victory.

“Scoring the winning goal against Notre Dame was really cool because we went into overtime and I was just throwing in the ball like I usually do. Next thing I knew, the ball went into the net off of one of the Notre Dame players,” said Morrow.

The intense overtime win boosted the team’s confidence, allowing them to start off the Parkway Showcase Tournament with a 6-1 blowout win against Oswego East. The Crusaders were down 1-0 early in the first half, but they quickly picked up the pace and scored six straight goals. Both their experienced seniors and promising freshman talent were on full display this game as senior Kirsten Lepping scored twice and freshmen Riley Combs and Jess Grayek scored their first varsity goals.

The following Tuesday, the Crusaders got their revenge on Incarnate Word Academy after being beaten by them last year in the postseason. SDHS took down Incarnate with a close 1-0 win. A goal from senior Madeline Weston and a shutout from sophomore goalkeeper Ali Palmatier helped them take down the previously undefeated Red Knights.

The girls kept the wins coming in their next two games, beating Borgia 4-1 and Rosati Kain 5-0 before losing to Nerinx Hall 3-1. Luckily, the Crusaders were able to shake off the tough loss and bounce back in their next game with a 5-0 win against Living Word Christian.

“I think the key to the team’s success has been connecting with one another since we are a young team and pushing ourselves everyday at practice,” said Morrow.

The Crusaders are currently 8-1 and are ranked number 12 nationally. After an action-packed start to the 2018 season, there’s definitely more excitement coming, so be sure to come catch a game before the season ends. Don’t miss their home game tomorrow at 2:30pm as they face off against Visitation Academy.