Jackson girls soccer team finally solves Perryville's Bauwens in overtime

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- It took 37 tries and about three minutes of overtime, but the Jackson girls soccer team finally found a way to get a shot past Natalie Bauwens.

Senior Kasey Crowden finally picked the combination on the senior Perryville goalkeeper when she booted in the game-winner from about 10 yards out to give unbeaten Jackson its second straight 1-0 overtime victory.

Jackson improved to 5-0 with its fifth consecutive shutout.

Two of Jackson's victories were 8-0 wins, while another was a 4-0 decision.

Bauwens was the only person standing in the way of another comfortable shutout for the Indians. She also was jumping and diving in the way, making 17 saves in regulation and three more in overtime. She turned in about six difficult saves, including a leaping deflection of a Crowden shot that caromed over the crossbar about 10 minutes into the game. Crowden also was stymied in the final minute of the first half when she rifled a shot from the right side that Bauwens dived to make the save.

Jackson's Jordan Myer kicks the ball past Perryville's Kasey Thieret during the second half Tuesday in Perryville, Mo. Jackson won 1-0 in overtime. (Fred Lynch)

Jackson outshot the Pirates 20 to 1 in the first half, with Bauwens making eight saves.

"The keeper was phenomenal today," Jackson co-coach Justin McMullen said. "She made some very, very athletic saves. I was impressed for sure."

Jackson held a 13 to 3 edge on shots in the second half, but Bauwens again was up to the task.

"Once I get in game mode, I guess I like to think I'm unstoppable," Bauwens said.

She also received help from the goalpost in the second half when one of her defenders clanged a clearing attempt off the right post after a Jackson corner kick.

Bauwens turned in her final big save when she stopped a header from point-blank range with about three minutes left in regulation after a scrum in front of the net ensued after a corner kick.

Jackson had five corner kicks in the game, while Perryville had none.

"It was shot after shot," Bauwens said. "And we weren't able to get that many back. Eventually one was bound to go in."

Crowden finally broke through after she took a pass toward the left side of the box.

"Mollie Crader made a good pass to me," Crowden said. "She saw that I was open, and it went from there."

Crowden could have shot immediately, but she moved to her left around a Perryville defender before driving the game-winner into the upper left side.

"She turned on it, and we stabbed," Perryville coach Stacie Sargent said. "And that's something we've been working on the whole game to avoid, and we did. We did pretty good for the most part."

Crowden's extra move for a better shot met with approval from McMullen.

"We had talked at the end of regulation as far as being a little more patient in our offensive third, so I think she took that to heart," McMullen said. "She's a senior, so she's been listening to me for four years now, so I think she understood that."

"We just had to settle down and work the ball," Crowden said.

The loss dropped Perryville to 1-3. All three losses have been by one goal.

"They had a lot more opportunities than us, and I recognize that, but I have to credit what we did do," Sargent said. "Defensively, I thought we stood strong, and I'll argue with anybody that Bauwens is the better keeper in the area. I don't just mean because of today's performance. I feel like her technique is good and she's smart. And she's been trained well."

Jackson now has outscored the opposition 22-0. Jackson goalkeeper Brooke Sanders was required to make saves on three of Perryville's five shots, and all were fairly routine.

"I try not to think about that too much," McMullen said about not yet yielding a goal. "We're pretty good defensively, but everything starts from the forwards defending up top. It's a collective thing as far as that goes."

And while his team had problems putting one past Bauwens, McMullen was happy to take the winner in the first of what could have been two 10-minute overtimes. A shootout would have followed.

"You never really want a game to be decided in a shootout, no matter what fashion it is," McMullen said. "But the way their keeper was playing today, we didn't want to take our chances in that situation."