St. Vincent overtakes Farmington with three goals in second-half scoring burst

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- For more than 55 minutes, the St. Vincent soccer team found little success penetrating Farmington's defense.

And after the Knightettes took a 1-0 lead midway through the second half, it looked like that stingy defense would make the one-goal lead stand.

But two goals in a two-minute span swung momentum to St. Vincent, and the Indians came away with a 3-1 victory Monday evening at the Perryville Soccer Complex.

Sophomore Jordan Wingerter and senior Holly Blandford scored 99 seconds apart, and freshman Hannah Gotto added an insurance goal in the 65th minute as the Indians improved to 10-6.

"We were having a tough time finishing," St. Vincent coach Keith Volansky said about his team's first-half troubles. "And then that momentum ... fortunately we were able to put a couple more in."

St. Vincent goalkeeper Katie Mattingly makes a save on a shot by Farmington’s Montana Krause during the second half.

The Indians took advantage of some defensive miscues by the Knights (8-9), specifically an inability to clear the ball from the end line.

Twice Farmington goalkeeper Rebekah Sutherland made the initial save on a St. Vincent shot, but the Indians were able to score off the carom.

First it was Blandford, who had a shot blocked by Sutherland but was able to corral the rebound on the left wide and pass out front to Wingerter, who popped a shot into a nearly open net to knot the score at 1-1 at 58 minutes, 33 seconds into the contest.

"Holly was able to cross the ball just perfectly in front of the goal," Wingerter said.

The two forwards collaborated again moments later when Wingerter fired a shot from the right side that Sutherland slid and blocked with her feet. The rebound came out to St. Vincent's Kristin Sutterer, who chipped a shot toward the net that Blandford ran in on and footed into a wide-open net for a 2-1 Indians lead.

St. Vincent’s Kristen Sutterer puts a shot on Farmington goalkeeper Rebekah Sutherland, who caught the ball, during the second half Monday in Perryville, Missouri. (Fred Lynch)

"That's one of our weakest things -- we don't follow through very well," said Blandford. "We did today."

"Follow through with the ball," Volansky said. "That's a big thing for us. You run, you follow through. You shoot, you follow through. Those wings always got to be crashing in. Everybody did their job. Everybody worked as a team."

Five minutes later, St. Vincent's Courtney Brown lofted a corner kick that Sutherland leaped to save but couldn't control. The ball hit the ground at the foot of Gotto, who deftly poked the ball in for a 3-1 lead.

The Indians' defense, along with senior goalkeeper Katie Mattingly, kept the Knightettes off the scoreboard the rest of the way. Late in the half, Farmington's Taylor Schwartzkopf got free on a breakaway, but Mattingly came out of the goal to close the gap and deflected the ball off Schwartkopf's foot about 15 yards out from the goal.

"We get that goal there, cut it to 3-2, it might be a different story," Farmington coach Rusty Sancegrew said. "I don't think our effort was very good the whole game."

St. Vincent’s Holly Blandford controls the ball against Farmington’s Hannah Marler during the first half Monday in Perryville, Missouri. (Fred Lynch)

Sancegrew admitted the Knights gave up several second chances but didn't lay the blame on his goalkeeper.

"Rebekah's made great saves all year," Sancegrew said. "She's one of the best keepers in the area really. We've got to cover up on the ball whenever she does make a save."

Farmington kept St. Vincent's offense in check throughout the first half with a trapping defense that resulted in several offsides whistles.

"That's smart soccer," Volansky noted. "We made a few adjustments, taking a step back, give them that extra space and time."

Mattingly credited a defensive effort early in the second half that helped switch momentum. With the Knightettes leading 1-0, Farmington's Montana Krause played a perfect corner kick that Emily Mosier headed toward the net. From the far side, St. Vincent's Sarah Gremaud swooped in and deflected the ball out of bounds.

A few minutes later, Wingerter's goal tied the game.

"You could just completely tell the momentum shifted," Mattingly said. "Especially once we got the tying goal. It was really important that we got that goal right away and didn't let them sit on the lead for too long. After that, we were a different team out there."