Lansdale Catholic breaks out on offense to rout St. Hubert
LANSDALE >> The starts of games for the Lansdale Catholic girls soccer have gone one of two ways this season.
Either the Crusaders come ripping out of the gate or they need some time to get going. Tuesday, it was very much the latter but once LC did get rolling, it rolled.
Buoyed by a hat-trick from Kate Henesey, LC rushed by St. Hubert’s by a 5-1 score.
“Offensively we just had to keep pressure, rely on our skills and look for each other,” Henesey said.
“The first half was a little bit iffy but we came together in the second half and got everyone together,” senior Sarah Opdyke said.
The Bambies came in beset by injuries but they still played hard. Still, the Crusaders weren’t capitalizing on the areas of space on the field and playing a more reactive than proactive game.
Finally, 11 minutes in, Henesey got played through on a ground ball and the sophomore carried it to the right side of the box before ripping a volley to the far post to open the scoring.
However, the strike didn’t do much to ignite LC and St. Hubert’s brought the bulk of the pressure for the next 10 minutes.
The Crusaders inserted Rose Stella on the right side and along with Opdyke on the left, the attack started to open up.
“We used to own that with the speed but I think some of my kids are keeping it quiet about their injuries right now,” LC coach Tom O’Donnell said. “We’re not sprinting and beating people down the wing like we had earlier in the year. When I put Rose in, she has this brilliant speed and this is what she does.”
O’Donnell did note his team was able to match St. Hubert’s level of play in the opening stretch which allowed his team to find its footing.
Opdyke created the second goal in the 35th minute with a ball off the flank, starting off her one goal, two-assist performance. After an LC corner got bounced around and out of the box, the senior played it back in for Henesey to knock in right in front.
GIRLS SOCCER 49' 2nd half: LC 5, Hubert's 0. Opdyke with a PK pic.twitter.com/UaI3kQQuQP
— Andrew Robinson (@ADRobinson3) October 13, 2015
“We always look to our outside mids to make that cross to the forwards,” Opdyke said. “We all work as a team to get it to the outside, bring it up and cross it.”
“We work on that, it’s one of the key plays to our game so it’s something we like to focus on,” Henesey added.
LC came out of the half with a new resolve, something Opdyke said the Crusaders try to do every game. Henesey would have had her third goal less than a minute in, but a St. Hubert’s defender palmed the shot over the crossbar, earning a yellow card and a penalty kick. Colbie Cummings stepped up for LC and hammered the shot home.
Henesey got her third goal seven minutes later when Opdyke set her up again. Opdyke took a ball down the left flank, added an extra touch to draw in two defenders then skipped a ball along the ground where a late-charging Henesey arrived for the tap in.
“Every halftime we say it’s a 0-0 game so we come out fresh and new,” Opdyke said.
“It being Senior Day, we said let’s do it for the seniors,” Henesey added.
Opdyke said the coaches did a good job of alerting the players to what mistakes St. Hubert’s was making. That let LC come out of the half able to attack those areas.
A minute after Henesey’s goal, Opdyke had a chance at a goal with a rebound shot, but the effort hit off a Bambies defender, drawing another PK. This time the senior took it and drove it home for a 5-0 lead.
“It was nice to get those free kicks and grab those extra goals,” Opdyke said.
The win moved LC into a tie for first in the Philadelphia Catholic League standings with Archbishop Ryan and seeing a chance to rest some players, O’Donnell went for it in the second half. St. Hubert’s was able to pull a goal back on Dominique Calio’s close-range shot in the 59th minute.
“I didn’t expect it go 5-1 so when we made it 5-0, we were on top of the world,” O’Donnell said. “There’s some kids with dings and dangs so let’s take them off. Thursday is another game and it’s equally as big.”
The Crusaders’ goal is to finish in the top four of the PCL and get a first-round playoff game at home.
“It’s so exciting, we’re in first place right now and we’re not trying to let down,” Opdyke said. “We have some big games coming up so we’re going to practice hard and be ready for those.”
“We just want to keep up the intensity and take one game at a time,” Henesey said.
Top Photo: Lansdale Catholic’s Kate Hennesey (14) is congratulated by Rose Stella (9,)and teamamtes after her goal against St. Hubert during first-half action of their contest at Lansdale Catholic High School on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2015
