The Holy Cross women’s soccer team closed out their two-game visit to the Chicago area with a 0-0 draw over St. Francis University.
Tuesday night’s result marked the Saints’ fifth tie of the year, which was especially important in the context of conference play. Holy Cross lost his first two CCAC games at home, but after Saturday’s win at Governors State he scored four points in his two road games.
St Francis entered the contest with a surge in attacking power, scoring eight goals in the last two games to complete a 6-1 record. However, Hawley’s cross met the challenge, fighting his Saints to less than his two goals for the second time this season, as he beat his opponents 25–16. For Saints head coach Omar Gallo, Tuesday’s defensive statements were all about adjustments.
“The game plan was to defend in mid-block, but what I appreciate most about this women’s team is their ability to improvise and adapt to the flow of the game,” Gallo said. The front 6 was an incredible attack, our girls recognized it right away as they put the 3 in the back, they needed to change their defensive style, they went into high pressing mode and We eliminated their buildup from there.”
The Saints’ cohesive back end was barely squeaky, but was well managed by sophomore goaltender Taylor Primack. The Illinois native had six saves en route to his fourth shutout of the season and his second consecutive clean sheet. Holly Netminder is working on her game as her cross prepares to enter the center of her play at the conference.
“The best way to explain [Primack] It’s consistent,” Gallo said. “The goalkeeper position is all about her confidence and now she’s riding her confidence wave. When she was called up in the last few games, she stepped up and made an important save. “
Further up the pitch, the Holy Cross offense put St Francis under pressure, attempting a season-high 25 shots. In his first two of his CCAC losses for the Saints, they lost his 54–27 to Cardinal Stritch and Judson. Since that shaky start, they have outpaced the Governor and St. Francis in the shot division by a margin of 44-33. Senior midfielder Lauren Cernak spearheaded the team’s turnaround on Tuesday by recording his best nine shots. She also scored and assisted twice in the week leading up to the St Francis game. Coach Gallo set her a six-shot target on Tuesday, and Sernak exceeded her expectations.
“Meeting knows who is who [Cernak] So she’s always marked,” Gallo said. It’s really paid off in the last few games to accept that and set her goals.”
The Holy Cross currently have an overall record of 2-2-5 and a conference mark of 1-2-1. One conference match presents ample opportunity to rise. As September draws to a close, the women of the Holy Cross are trying to break away from the herd.
“What I enjoyed about my team was that they were frustrated after the game because they wanted to win,” Gallo said. increase.”
Going forward, the Saints will return to South Bend to host CCAC enemies at St. Xavier (Saturday) and Indiana University – South Bend (Wednesday). St. Xavier, much like St. Francis, is bringing a dynamic offense into the contest after his 5-2 victory over Governors State. However, the Cougars have been vulnerable on the back end, conceding multiple goals in three of their last four games, while IU-South Bend conceded his 50th in an opening 0-7-0, and scored nothing. We got off to a tough start with a goal.
“We have to build on the defensive momentum we’ve had in the last two games,” said Gallo. “If we play well defensively, we have to be in a position to win. The away result was great, but there is a sense of urgency that we have to pick up the three points on Saturday.”
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