Jackson season again ends at sectional

~ Cor Jesu defeated the Indians 2-0 as Jackson fell short of the quarterfinal round for the sixth straight year.

FENTON -- For the sixth straight year the Jackson girls soccer team was unable to make it past the sectional round of the playoffs.

After an evenly played first half, Cor Jesu sophomore forward Cassie Sperruzza blasted a shot past goalie Morgan Riddick to break a scoreless tie early in the second half.

Cor Jesu didn't allow the Indians to take a shot on goal after halftime and added a late insurance goal as it posted a 2-0 victory Tuesday in the Class 3 playoff game at the Anheuser Busch Center.

"They came out harder [in the second half]," Jackson senior Bobbi Jo Schlick said. "I don't think our team came out as hard [in the second] as we did in the first half."

The Indians ended their season with an 18-4 record.

Cor Jesu controlled play after the intermission and had multiple scoring chances before Sperruzza tallied her goal 5 minutes, 36 seconds in.

"The game is certainly about momentum, and any time you come out in the second half in a 0-0 game and set a tone like that, it just kind of lingers," Jackson co-coach Justin McMullen said. "They worked hard and they got a goal and they fed off that that."

Sperruzza said while Jackson is a physical team, her squad wanted the game more.

"The first half I think we dominated a little -- we just couldn't finish," Sperruzza said. "At halftime we got fired up. We knew that we needed to win it and we needed to do it, so we just worked, gave everything we could and we scored. I think we just came out in the second half strong and we wanted it more."

For the game, Cor Jesu had 10 shots on goal to Jackson's two. Riddick made eight saves.

Jackson had a couple opportunities early in the first half.

Jackson's Amber Crites missed a wide-open look as she kicked a shot wide in the first 10 minutes. Schlick then missed wide left on a breakaway later in the half.

"All I was thinking about was getting it in that goal," Schlick said. "But it didn't happen. I mis-hit it."

McMullen liked the pressure his girls applied on Cor Jesu early, but he said the missed shots hurt.

"Those, in playoff time, we have to capitalize on to keep playing," he said.

Schlick said she thought her team played better than Cor Jesu early the first half.

"We had a lot of shots, and then I think we just got a little lazy and content," Schlick said. "We weren't ready for the second half to start. They moved the ball around quickly. They knew where each other were going to be and where each other were running. At this level, you can't dribble very much. You have to do a lot of passing, and that's what they did."

Jackson fell behind 2-0 when freshman Paige Voorhees scored with 16:46 left.

"They played a lot tighter on us," McMullen said about the Cor Jesu defense in the second half. "We were quicker than them in the first half to some balls. The second half they really dominated us in winning those balls."

Jackson has lost in the sectional every year since 2004. The last sectional victory it posted was against Francis Howell Central in 2003.

"Throughout the season this year we kind of prepared ourselves for competition like this, but it's definitely one of those things you have to fight and win every ball like there's no tomorrow," McMullen said. "Playoff time is a different story."