Saxony Lutheran girls soccer team remains unbeaten

Leave it to the Saxony Lutheran girls soccer team to turn up the heat on a cold day.

Facing a team determined to smother the Crusaders' offensive effectiveness, Saxony nonetheless found a way to break through Sikeston's packed defense to score three goals and claim a 3-0 victory on a chilly, blustery Tuesday afternoon.

Senior forward Lauren Hecht scored all three goals as the Crusaders remained perfect on the season at 6-0.

"Possess the ball and work to try to find that open shot," Saxony Lutheran coach Ryan Schweain said about his team's game plan. "We didn't have a lot of good looks on goal. Sikeston played very well defensively."

Saxony led 1-0 before a two-goal binge late in the first half gave the Crusaders a cushion. Hecht opened the scoring in the 15th minute, taking a cross from freshman Maddie Brune in front of the net and one-timing it past Sikeston goalkeeper Annie Ramey.

Saxony Lutheran's Kristy Winter drives the ball past Sikeston's Harper Bryant during the first half Tuesday, March 26, 2013 in Jackson. Saxony won 3-0. (Laura Simon)

It stayed that way until the 36th minute when Brune found Hecht with another cross from virtually the same spot on the field. This time the cross was high, but Hecht headed the ball into the back of the net to make it 2-0.

Less than a minute later it was Maci Daniel's turn, and the junior forward got free on the right side and crossed to -- who else? -- Hecht in front of the net, who kicked the ball home for her third goal of the game.

"I just felt like I knew where the ball was going to go," Hecht said. "I just needed to be in the air. They're quick, and they made really good crosses. You just gotta be ready."

Hecht acknowleged the tight defense didn't make for a lot of opportunities.

"[Sikeston] had a lot of people in back and, close to the goal, it was not open," she noted. "I kind of got lucky."

Saxony Lutheran's Brianna Mueller, left, and Maci Daniel congratulate teammate Lauren Hecht on her goal in the first half of the Lady Crusader's game against Sikeston Tuesday, March 26, 2013 in Jackson. Saxony won 3-0. (Laura Simon)

Hecht's ability to finish wasn't lost on her teammates.

"To do that work and see them finish makes that hard work pay off," said Brune, who notched her 10th and 11th assists of the season, tops on the team.

It was the ability of Brune, Maci Daniel and freshmen Ashlynn Collier and Tess Daniel to get free on the outside and win the battles on the sidelines or in the corners that set up Saxony's scoring chances.

"We have some players on the outside that are workhorses," Schweain said. "Every game, they give 100 percent."

Saxony's Kristy Winter, a senior, and freshman Brianna Mueller were able to continually win the midfield battle against their Bulldog counterparts, and freshman Ali Galemmo was the anchor in a defensive backfield that didn't permit a shot on junior goalkeeper Abby Goeckeler.

"They have a lot of good young girls that have played a lot together," Sikeston coach Doyle Noe said as his squad fell to 2-3 on the season. "We tended to chase the ball a little bit. ... They're a solid team, and they showed it today."

Noe was pleased with his defense that kept Saxony scoreless over the final 40 minutes.

"That's our strong suit is our defense," Noe said. "They played well. Our weak side lost their mark a couple times and Saxony got those two goals -- one on a header and the other she just volleyed in -- but other than that we played well."

Sikeston's determination to pack its defense deep may have hampered its offensive efficiency.

"It ended up pushing them back a bit," Schweain said. "We were able to control the ball offensively over two-thirds of the field."