Overtime goal lifts Lady Eagles

A direct kick by Holy Cross' Devon Suhadolnik is blocked Wednesday by Mountain View players, Olivia Zick, second from right, and Alix Taylor, right, as teammates Taylor Lewis, second from left, and Jillian Roeske help form the wall. TIMES-SHAMROCK PHOTO/LINDA MORGAN

BY ASHLEY TEATUM

Times-Shamrock Writer

Mountain View’s offense refused to relent Wednesday against Holy Cross.

The Crusaders’ defense did not back down either.

That forced the girls soccer teams to take it into overtime, where Jennifer Molenko kicked a soft goal to the far left post to lift Mountain View (5-0-1) over Holy Cross (3-3-1), 1-0, in a league crossover match at Polonia Park.

With just under three minutes elapsed in overtime, Carly Jesse attempted a shot, but instead connected with Molenko for the game-winner.

“Carly’s been a really good player,” said Molenko, a freshman. “I thought she had it. Her dad is a coach, and it was always, ‘To the post, to the post.’ He taught me how to attack.

“I think her post shot just automatically made me think go to the ball, not to the person.”

The Eagles may have outshot the Crusaders, 25-3, but Molenko’s final shot was the only one to hit the net.

“We had a couple of early opportunities that if we put them away would have lightened the mood a bit,” Mountain View coach Errol Mannick said.

“We fought through, we kept our composure and we got the far post goal at the end.”

Holy Cross goalkeeper Jenn Mosley, along with defenders Kristen Pickering, Brianna Zawacki and Shannon May, made sure to keep the pressure up on the Eagles’ offense.

“The biggest thing was they hustled and they played hard together,” Holy Cross coach Gene Maslar said. “They played hard and didn’t give an inch.”