It was the first matchup of the year between cross town rivals St. Joe’s and Trumbull, and St. Joe’s girls soccer showed their dominance.
Tuesday’s game was quite the scoring frenzy with five goals being scored before halftime and six goals in total.
Three goals came from junior forward Sara Parker, two goals came from sophomore forward Julia Nunes, and the final goal came from senior midfielder Taylor Jenkins.
This is one of multiple games this season the team has scored six goals, and they have scored at least four in every single game.
When asked about their success, senior captain Maeve Matthews said, “Coach (Jack) Nogueira reminds us that we can never settle, we have to continue to play how we play no matter what team it is.”
This mindset will surely carry them through the rest of the season and even into the playoffs.
The defense, led by Matthews, was extremely strong. This season the Cadets have only conceded one goal on a penalty kick.
On the opposite side is an effective offense that keeps putting the ball in the back of the net. Even when Sara Parker was not scoring herself, she still found a way to contribute. She had two assists, delivering perfect crosses that led on goals from both Julia Nunes and Taylor Jenkins.
It is evident this team has great chemistry, their runs are timed well and they are always pressing the goal.
The cross town rivalry is also strong,
“All four years of playing high school soccer it’s been a special game, it’s the rivalry,” Matthews said.
The Trumbull and St. Joe’s game is always one of the biggest of the year, no matter the sport.
St. Joe’s has cruised through the first nine games of the season.
The Cadets have already faced tough opponents such as Fairfield Ludlowe, but still have more, including games with Staples and Ridgefield in the coming weeks. The FCIAC is a very competitive conference.
After winning both the FCIAC and Class L State titles last year, the team has been moved up to Class LL. St. Joe’s has previously won in Class LL in 2013, and even reached the ranking of No. 7 in the nation by the end of the season.
Once again, St. Joe’s proved they are a force within the FCIAC conference.