Lady Cats Soccer Team Finishes Second In Manfredo Tournament Over Weekend And Defeat Redbank Valley On Monday (09/16/14)

The Lady Cats Soccer Team had a very good showing at the Manfredo Tournament, on Saturday, followed by a league victory over Redbank Valley on Monday. Clarion Coach, Chris Schonbachler shared the following summaries of the Lady Cats action:

Manfredo Tournament – Saturday, September 13:
The Clarion Area Lady Cats brought home a 2nd place finish from the 2014 Nini Manfredo Memorial Soccer Tournament, in Dubois.

Their day began with a 2-0 win over Punxsutawney. Bailey Heeter led off the scoring with goal, assisted by Maci Thornton. Thornton added a second unassisted goal. Emily Powers secured the shutout win with 11 saves.

The second match of the day saw the Lady Cats battling against the host team, Dubois Central Catholic. Alexa Hannold scored the first goal of her high school career in this match. Nicki Glenn also added a goal off a perfectly placed 25 yard free kick. The game was decided in overtime when Maci Thornton went on a dominating 50 yard run through the DCC defense. Her run culminated in a game winning “golden goal”, giving the Lady Cats a 4-3 victory.

The championship match pitted the Lady Cats against Redbank. Unfortunately for Clarion, injuries proved to be a deciding factor in this match. With 3 starters missing from the lineup, Redbank’s Jade Adams struck early goals giving Redbank a lead they would not relinquish. Clarion’s Maddie Weaver made a brilliant run through the left side of Redbank’s defense, scoring the Lady Cat’s only goal. Clarion fought hard through the entire match with especially strong performances from Forest mills and Emily Powers. The final 7-1 score earned Redbank the tournament championship.

The Lady Cat coaching staff was pleased with the overall team effort put forth on Saturday. First year players were put into action against a quality opponent and performed admirably. As a result of their efforts, the Lady Cats now stand at 4-4.

Redbank Valley – Monday, September 16:
The Clarion Area Lady Cats were matched against Redbank Monday evening for the second time in 3 days. On their home field, Clarion jumped out to an early 1-0 lead when Bailey Heeter scored in the 2nd minute, of the Cats’ 6-0 win. Maci Thornton delivered another strong performance, scoring her first hat trick of the season. Clarion goalkeeper Emily Powers managed to stop all shots faced in the shutout victory. The Lady Cat defense, led by Hannah Phillips and Kelly Beveridge, put forth an outstanding effort, limiting offensive opportunities for the Redbank offense. The win gives the Lady Cats a record of 5-4 on the season.

Their next match will be at home Wednesday evening against Karns City.

(Thanks to Coach Schonbachler for these summaries.)