Jackson girls soccer team fights off St. Vincent on penalty kicks

St. Vincent controlled the final 15 minutes of the second half against host Jackson on Friday.

But St. Vincent couldn't manage the go-ahead goal.

"Really it came down to intensity level," Jackson co-coach Justin McMullen said. "They really were flying to the ball and they were very keen on going to the ball. It was just one of those things that we were just reacting and allowing them to beat us to the ball."

Jackson's defense managed to clear balls as they entered the box, which helped it to force overtime.

"I think our defense was playing outstanding the whole entire game, which kept us in it," Jackson junior Erin Eakens said. "I just think that we kind of slowed our play down. When you slow your play down with a team that has speed almost everywhere on the field, it's tough to defend that."

St. Vincent's Holly Blanford, left, controls the ball in front of Jackson's Danielle Daume Friday, May 6, 2011 in Jackson. (Laura Simon)

Neither team scored in overtime, and Jackson (14-1) pulled out the 2-1 win over St. Vincent on penalty kicks for the second consecutive year.

"This is a great game to play before districts because it gives us a lot of competition that we need that we know we'll probably face in districts and if we're privileged to go on to the sectionals as well," Eakens said.

The game pitted two of the most talented girls soccer teams in Southeast Missouri. Both teams rely heavily on speed to generate offensive changes, but there wasn't much running free Friday.

"We haven't necessarily had a game like that where our speed pretty much matches the other team," Eakens said. "We tried different formations, tried to find open players making runs up because it creates open people."

St. Vincent coach Dusty Wengert offered a one-word answer on his strategy for slowing down Jackson.

St. Vincent's Holly Blanford, left, and Jackson's Danielle Daume race after the ball during Friday's game in Jackson. (Laura Simon)

"Pray," he said with a laugh, then added, "We've made a couple changes."

Those changes included moving standout midfielder Storm French to the defensive sweeper and switching Abby Lappe, a forward with a nose for the goal, to the midfield. Both players had a hand in slowing down Jackson's potent runs.

"Our defense talked so much tonight," French said. "We let everyone know where everybody else was and we were able to yell to the midfield to get back too because our defense would slide over and take the midfield spot until the midfield could get back."

Jackson grabbed the lead late in the first half when Eakens used a flip throw-in to create a chance. Eakens got a running start toward the sideline then somersaulted and launched the ball into the box, where Hailey Mouser buried a shot into the side of the goal.

Jackson enjoyed the 1-0 lead at halftime, which is when Wengert challenged his team.

St. Vincent's Courtney Heberlie heads the ball during Friday's game against Jackson.

"Our speech at halftime was stop reacting and start being in motion earlier," he said. "Start anticipating is the word I want to use. That's what I was looking for in the second half, and I thought we did that a lot better."

St. Vincent (14-4) responded early in the second half when French sent a free kick sailing into the box. Wengert said his team credited French with the goal because it actually was an own-goal by Jackson.

The evened score energized St. Vincent. It started to move the ball better and sustain an attack, something it failed to do for most of the first half.

"St. Vincent is a very, very good team, one of the quickest we've faced in quite a long time this season," McMullen said. "It was a great game for both teams heading into districts. I really felt like that game went back and forth. They had their moments and we had our moments."

Jackson created one incredible chance late in the second half when Mollie Crader worked in from the right but blasted a shot off the crossbar.

The two 10-minute overtime sessions were fairly even with neither team creating a golden scoring chance.

Jackson finally prevailed on penalty kicks. Both teams converted four of their first five, forcing sudden death.

Eakens sent a soft shot into the left side to give Jackson the lead.

"It definitely helps when you put the pressure on them," she said.

St. Vincent's Holly Cissell needed to convert to extend the game, but her shot sailed over the goal.

"They're a good team and when it comes down to it, penalty kicks is just a terrible way to lose, I think," French said.