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St. Marys forward Kelly Holsinger and Celina defender Alex Kimmel go for the ball at Roughrider Field on Tuesday.
ST. MARYS - Coming off its first loss of the season, St. Marys turned in its sharpest performance so far.
The Roughriders took a lead right out of the gate and stymied Celina through the first half, then held on in the second for a 3-1 win in a Western Buckeye League girls soccer match at Roughrider Field on Tuesday.
"Coming in, we had yet to connect first half to second half and play each half all the way through," St. Marys coach Nick Wilson said. "The first half, I thought we did a pretty nice job. I think we probably played 90% of it the way we wanted to. Second half, got a little sloppier, got some other bodies in. But overall, definitely the best soccer that we've played."
Keeper Ella Jacobs jogged all the way out past midfield for a free kick just over a minute into the game and launched the ball into the box, and the Bulldogs were called for a handball to set up Aerial Fast for a penalty kick.
Fast sent it into the right side past Maxwell to put St. Marys (3-1) up with 38:30 left in the first half.
"That ball from Ella was the key," Wilson said. "She can kick it a far piece. So that ball going in and being fortunate enough to get a PK out of the deal, and Aerial locked it in."
"You don't like to start a game like that, but sometimes luck's not on your side," Celina coach Eric Gerker said. "Ball bounces the wrong way and catches a hand, and you give up a PK - it's unfortunate, but hey, they capitalized on it."
The Bulldogs got the ball deep into the final third a minute later but couldn't generate any chances, and the Roughriders controlled the ball for most of the half.
Fast drew a foul just outside the box midway through the half, but the Bulldogs kept St. Marys from taking a shot.
St. Marys defender Jillian Tomberlin brings the ball upfield along the boundary line.
With just under 12 minutes left, Sophia Menker found Kendal Davis, who dribbled to the edge of the box and snapped off a high shot that keeper Isabel Maxwell got her hands on but couldn't keep out of the net.
"We had very little possession on Saturday in Mansfield," Wilson said. "We did have one practice, but it was kind of a mindset (that changed). When you're dealing with teenage kids, the mindset is sometimes the most challenging part."
The Bulldogs' best chances of the half both sailed over the crossbar. Alex Kimmel came up for a free kick with 14:53 to go after a handball just outside the box, but launched it over the goal. Then with 14 seconds left in the half, Rachel Rammel missed high from the left side.
"We didn't play well the first half," Gerker said. "We weren't connecting our passes, our spacing, gameplan-wise, wasn't where it needed to be. We were playing a lot of long balls, and I think we played a little nervous the first half, with some of our young players. But I think we played a lot better the second half."
St. Marys' Emma Freewalt (27) challenges Celina's Savannah Jacobs at Roughrider Field on Tuesday.
Celina (3-2) threatened again four minutes into the second half, on a cross from Rammel to Allana Carroll that went past her and Jacobs before the St. Marys keeper dove on the ball ahead of Bria Pearson.
Carroll and Kenlee Holstad came very close to connecting on a pair of crossers with about 17 minutes to play. On the first, Holstad had a clean shot but turned it a little too far and just missed the left post. The second sailed just out of Holstad's reach and harmlessly over the end line.
With 5:50 left, Fast was fouled about 30 feet from the goal and hustled to take the free kick, firing a high shot over Maxwell and into the back of the net to make it 3-0.
"By a long shot, it's been the smartest soccer play that we've had all season to date," Wilson said. "She's aware that she doesn't have to wait, saw that the keeper was out, and just put it in."
Celina got that one back with 4:04 remaining, as Kimmel fed a free kick into the box and Rammel and a defender went up for a header which curved over Jacobs and into the net. But that was all the Bulldogs could muster.
St. Marys hosts Riverdale for a varsity-only game at 5 p.m. Thursday, while Celina travels to Bluffton on Saturday.
