[Baltimore Sun] Century girls soccer uses strong second half to shutout South Carroll, 3-0
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For Century girls soccer coach Chris Little, Tuesday night’s contest was a prime example of the benefits of having 13 seniors.
Sloppy field conditions, a physical opponent with a stout defensive plan and lots of emotions as the program celebrated senior night provided a tough mix to weather. However, Little’s veterans banded together and shook off an uncharacteristically slow start.
“Anytime you come out for senior night, the girls get pumped up,” Little said. “They want to play hard, so it’s a lot of emotion. Once we settled into the game a little bit more, we started playing Century soccer.”
“Century soccer” was on full display in the second half as the Knights locked in, smothering the Cavaliers en route to a 3-0 victory.
“We definitely regrouped at halftime and discussed what we need to change for the second half,” senior captain Bella Coccio said. “We really worked together to pull this off.”
With Little urging the girls to take advantage of a slippery ball and take as many open shots as possible, Coccio broke the 0-0 tie in the second half with a strike that sailed over South Carroll goalie Sydney Mossman’s head for the game’s first goal.
Coccio received a beautiful pass from fellow senior captain Lexi McGinnis and just like that, the Knights (4-2-1, 1-0 Carroll County) were off and running. Little wasn’t surprised his captains took over.
“They’re the ones that create a lot for us offensively as well as maintain defensively,” he said. “They lead not just in practice, but on the field with everything they do and for the past couple of years, we’ve been so fortunate to have them here leading the way.”
McGinnis, an East Carolina University commit, added to her special night with two goals, finding the back of the net as the crowd filled with family and friends looked on amazed as the Knights seemingly flipped a switch. McGinnis was able to see the fruits of her labor this season pay off.
“I’ve been trying to find the back post a lot, especially with headers and that’s how I scored both my goals today,” she said with a smile. “Kudos to our outside wingers for getting the ball in and getting good crosses off. Our goal is just to take as many shots as we can and get behind on as many balls as we can.”
South Carroll vs. Century girls soccer | PHOTOS
Defensively, the Knights saw solid efforts from two goalies as Megan Taltavull collected five saves and senior Audrey Peterson had one. The unit was able to stay strong as South Carroll (4-1-1, 0-1) kept attacking, turning more and more desperate as time wore down.
Already making her impact on the stat sheet, Coccio’s leadership also played a role in the strong second half.
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“One of my biggest goals is helping the players that don’t know how to play their positions as well as I might because of my experience,” she said. “I really like to pick up those who might need help or might need coaching on the field.”
As the final seconds ticked down, the girls rejoiced as the job was done and a strong group of seniors were properly honored.
Happy, but not satisfied, the Knights remained locked in as they walked off the field discussing the next day’s practice. A senior night win was great for the girls, but they know that was just a stepping stone to the loftier goals and expectations they have for themselves this year.
“We’re looking to keep going and to win a county championship again.” McGinnis said. “We’re looking to have a successful playoff run and just to keep having fun as a group, get closer and make the most of what’s left of our time with Century soccer.”
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