Stevens Tastes First Defeat: Cardinals Comeback Falls Short Against Saints, 2-1

By Christopher Shaban
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
CLAREMONT- Two of the top teams in Division 3 fought it out on Tuesday, as Saint Thomas held off a frantic Cardinals charge to grab a 2-1 win in a battle of the unbeatens. “We knew they were good, but they were the best team we have faced all year, not even close,” said St. Thomas Head Coach Pat Hureau.

The visitors were fast, smart, and used the entire field to grab a 1-0 lead with shots headed towards Hailey Knight at a very quick pace. Maddie Karsonovich is a big and physical striker and her goal put the Cardinals in a hole for the first time all season. Stevens has blown through the first half of their season without allowing a goal while putting up a pile of shots into the net. Stevens scoring leaders Maddy Minckler and Stella Lavertue were having a hard time making runs on net with St. Thomas defender Ella Pottle having a fantastic game. The wing play of Kiley Bundy and Brianna Marsh was having success on the outside, but when the ball came into the middle of the field, the St. Thomas defense was quick to the ball and cleared it out of the zone.

The second half brought a more intense Cardinals squad to the pitch, with Aiden Antonivich’s blast testing Saints keeper Abby Rayder early, but Stevens came away empty handed after a couple of quick chances and some prolonged time in the offensive end. A quick counterattack by the visitors resulted in another score as the shot was high into the top of the net putting Stevens behind 2-0 midway into the second half.

With a huge crowd lining the fence and the boy’s football and soccer teams crammed into the field entrance, Bundy brought the crowd to life with a rip from point blank range that gave Rayder no chance as Bundy’s goal cut the lead to 2-1 with 20 minutes remaining. With newfound confidence, Stevens was on the attack, as Alyssa Paquette and Lavertue were dominant in the midfield. Tori Dalke and Addison Derosier were finding room to run and the passes out to the wings created more space for Minckler and Lavertue to operate against a defense that was just flooding the box with defenders.

A golden opportunity for Stevens came a few minutes later when a cross ended up in the box as the ball went from players feet to feet with multiple players taking swipes at it, but the Cardinals just couldn’t get it pointed at net. Moments later with the clock stopped, Stevens nearly tied the match when Minckler and Lavertue made a break toward the net with only a single defender in the area. Juliana Grella made the play of the game with a tackle that pushed the ball out to the sidelines and an exhausted Lavertue ended up on the ground staring skyward. “We knew they wouldn’t quit, this was an incredible game tonight, by far the best team we have played. It was tough and physical, I’m sure we will see them again,” said Rayder after the Cardinals had suffered their first loss of the season 2-1. “I think our nerves got to us in the first half, but we came out in the second half playing the way we are capable of playing, we know we can play much better, we just have to refocus and learn from tonight’s game,” said Bundy after the game.

With the win, St. Thomas moved into second place in the division with an 8-0-1 record while the Cardinals slip to 8-1. “This is the type of game we need, a tough physical hard-fought match, we have never been overconfident, and this game will make us even more hungry to get better,” said Stevens Head Coach Tim St. Pierre after the game. Stevens will host Monadnock on Saturday.