The Alexandria girls’ soccer team made it a clean sweep in the boys and girls doubleheader at Citizens Field on Tuesday night.
The Cardinal girls followed up the boys’ win before them with a victory of their own. Alexandria used a late goal to break open a tie and take the nightcap 2-1 over St. Cloud Tech.
Nikki Hammond got the scoring going for the Cardinals 10 minutes into the second half. Hammond sent a shot to the upper-right corner and over the keeper for a 1-0 lead from 12 yards out.
That is how the game would remain for much of the second half. But the Tigers were determined to find a way, and they did that with almost six minutes remaining in the game. Tech took advantage of a corner kick when Laura McKee found the back of the net to tie the game at one apiece.
“Tech is a well coached team and has always been strong at executing corner kicks,” head coach Tom Roos said. “They almost connected on one in the first half, and I knew that if a good ball was sent in, their attackers were capable of burying it.”
It did not take long for the Cardinals to get that one back. Three seniors contributed on the game-winning goal a little more than a minute later. Beth Rindy sent a free kick from 40 yards out to midfielder Olivia Rice. Rice beat a defender before sending a cross to Kate Gearman, who attacked the far post on the weak side and finished from six yards out.
That was the difference in the game, as goalkeeper Catherine Keenan and the Cardinal defense held on the rest of the way for Alexandria’s second win of the season. Keenan had 16 saves on the night, while the Tigers’ Katelyn Wendt had nine.
“The girls showed great composure and character,” Roos said. “Sometimes when a team loses the lead late in the game they can get frustrated, and it can show in the way they work together and communicate.
“Our girls stayed positive and seemed to have faith in themselves and each other. To hang in there and come back with the winning goal makes this a great game to build on.”
Tags: alexandria sports, sports, home, team, cardinals, girls, soccer, st, cloud, tech
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