Saxony Lutheran girls soccer team improves to 10-0

Sitting undefeated midway through soccer season can put a bull's-eye on your back.

The Saxony Lutheran girls soccer team found that out Tuesday afternoon when they hosted a physical Poplar Bluff team intent on making amends for losing to the Crusaders two weeks ago without mustering a shot on goal.

Saxony found just enough offense in the first half to escape with a hard-fought 3-0 victory -- again without allowing a shot on goal.

Freshman Brianna Mueller scored twice, junior Maci Daniel added another goal and three Crusaders had assists as Saxony improved to 10-0 on the season.

"The first 20 minutes was definitely the best," Saxony coach Ryan Schweain said. "It felt like we were a little more frustrated with ourselves and not necessarily with the other team. Our passing was off, and our shape was falling apart at times. And then that frustration just compounded as the game went on."

Saxony Lutheran’s Tess Daniel takes a shot against Poplar Bluff goalkeeper Courtney Ralston during the first half Tuesday at Saxony Lutheran High School. (Fred Lynch)

But it was those first 20 minutes that made all the difference. Mueller opened the scoring in the 11th minute, receiving a pass from senior Lauren Hecht from the goal line to the mouth of the goal and pushing it past Lady Mules goalkeeper Courtney Raulston for a 1-0 lead. The score was set up by a nice run from Daniel, who took the ball all the way down the right side until being tied up by a Poplar Bluff defender at the goal line. Lying on her back, Daniel still had enough to push the ball out to Hecht, who found Mueller all alone in front of the net.

Two minutes later, Daniel ran onto a pass from Raegan Wieser, turned, and one-timed a shot into the far corner of the net for a 2-0 advantage.

"I just saw the ball coming to me and I placed it and got it in there pretty quickly," Daniel said. "I'm lucky my teammates got the ball to me."

Mueller made it 3-0 in the 24th minute with her second goal of the game. Freshman midfielder Grace Mirly's crossing pass from the left side sneaked its way past two teammates and through three defenders before fellow freshman Maddie Brune passed it back to the middle where Mueller pounced on it, turning and powering a shot past Raulston.

"Our team is really balanced," Mueller said. "We don't have one 'All-Star' player that we have to get the ball to. Everyone does their role. They do a great job at it. Whenever we get the ball, I think we capitalize on our shots and take advantage of it."

Saxony Lutheran’s Tess Daniel battles Poplar Bluff’s Kayce Kimbrow for ball possession during the second half.

The second half was a bruising 40 minutes that saw both teams battle a gusting wind, fatigue and some chippy play that, luckily, didn't get out of hand.

"That's what we talked about after the game," Schweain said. "We definitely need to learn from this game. With them being frustrated and emotional, we just need to take that into the rest of the season."

The physical nature of the game made the early goals stand out for the Crusaders, who struggled offensively for much of the second half.

"Frustration definitely settled in this game," Daniel said. "We weren't playing our game, and we kind of got lost in the obstacles they threw at us and definitely the physicality of the game. We let that get into our head, and we let them frustrate us more than we should have.

"We just had to work together as a team and make sure our team's mind-set was corrected. Get us back focused on what we needed to do instead of what they were doing to us."

Mueller said having beaten the Mules 5-0 on March 25 in Poplar Bluff helped prepare the Crusaders for a physical matchup.

"Actually, I kind of expected it," she said. "I didn't expect it to get that physical, but we played 'em before, so I knew it was gonna get pretty physical."

Junior goalkeeper Abby Goeckeler, not called upon to make a save, notched her ninth shutout of the season. Hecht, Wieser and Brune were credited with assists.

"A very unselfish team. At times, a little bit too much," Schweain said. "Sometimes I want them to shoot. They're wide open, right at the [penalty kick] spot, and they try to make another pass. ... You've got to shoot to score points."