[Baltimore Sun] McKenzie Brown’s hat trick leads No. 1 McDonogh girls soccer past No. 8 John Carroll, 4-1
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Forward McKenzie Brown has been scoring goals at a steady pace for No. 1 McDonogh girls soccer so far this season, but she sped things up Monday against visiting John Carroll.
The standout senior scored two goals 30 seconds apart in the 13th minute and added a third in the second half as the Eagles claimed a 4-1 win over the No. 8 Patriots in Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference play.
The league’s defending champion improves to 7-2 overall and 3-0 in conference play, while John Carroll falls to 3-3-1 and 1-2.
After withstanding early pressure from the visitors, the Eagles made the most of their first quality chance. Defender Ava Sessa collected a ball at midfield on the left side and found Emma Patti, who sent an ideal ball through to Brown. In close on the same side, Brown found the far post from 8 yards for a 1-0 advantage with 27:35 left in the first half. The Eagles were quick to get the ball back and again find Brown, who, this time from the right side, chipped a ball over John Carroll goalie Kallissa Coats from 14 yards to make it 2-0.
“I think through balls are really it for me because with my speed I run on to the ball really well and my team knows that,” said Brown, who now has eight goals and two assists this season. “So I’ve had everyone finding me throughout this season. It’s been really good. When we connect four and five passes together it always results in a goal for us so we have to keep doing that.”
There were many points in the game when the Patriots, who were without injured center backs Izzy Dobrzykowski and Ella Jantz, had chances to turn the momentum. Before Brown’s first-half splurge, they had a quality chance when midfielder Mylana Stevens hit a clean strike from 18 yards that McDonogh freshman goalie Vivian Biggs alertly turned aside with Clara Madore’s rebound take going wide.
With five minutes left in the first half, Elle Turner and Grace Marchetti had left-footed chances two minutes apart that didn’t find the target.
Two free kicks early in the second half were cleanly handled by Biggs, who finished with seven stops, before Grace Hardway gave the Eagles a 3-0 lead with 23:54 to play. Brown made it 4-0 less than a minute later.
After Biggs left the game with three minutes to play, backup goalie Elyse Scott made a fine save before surrendering the Patriots’ lone goal when Caslin finished a corner kick sent in by Marchetti in the game’s final minute.
McDonogh coach Harry Canellakis and John Carroll’s Hayley Howe agreed the final score didn’t depict the 80 minutes of play.
“Definitely wasn’t a 4-1 game. I thought we won more moments than them, but it was pretty even,” Canellakis said. “It’s just a matter of playing well and then capitalizing on playing well. It’s different things. I thought they played well, but didn’t capitalize on playing well.”
Senior center back Lexi Terry led a cohesive effort in back to help Biggs, while sophomore midfielder Zoe Lilly had strong moments with the ball for the Eagles.
Howe liked how the Patriots created chances, but better work on the final touch is a must. She added the late goal showed the character of her team and was something to build on.
“We’re getting closer and closer to goals,” she said. “It’s just getting a little hungrier in the box but I think we’re moving the ball really well.”
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John Carroll next travels to Eastern Tech at 3:45 p.m. Tuesday. McDonogh heads to New Jersey this weekend to take on two perennial national powers in nonconference play. The Eagles will visit Paul VI at 7 p.m. Friday before taking on Pennington School at 5 p.m. Saturday.
Goals: M — Brown 3, Hardway; JC — Caslin
Assists: M — Patti; JC — Madore
Saves: M — Biggs 7, Scott 1; JC — Coats 5
Half: M, 2-0
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