Girls Soccer: Socha Powers Marist Past Shepard

On Wednesday afternoon in a semifinal matchup at the Marist Regional, Marist was able to control possession and claim a 4-0 girls soccer victory over Shepard.

Winning loose balls both on the ground and in the air was key to the victory.

“We spread out a lot more and we were winning 50-50 balls,” Marist senior midfielder Jessica Socha said. “We stayed in the game. Our attitude was good.”

Shepard entered fresh off a quarterfinal victory over Hubbard, while it was the RedHawks’ first game of the state playoffs.

Marist didn’t waste much time in getting on the board. At the 28:01 mark, RedHawk junior midfielder Kristen Barrett found Socha on a corner kick, who scored on a header past Astro keeper Rachel Reule.

The RedHawks continued to dominate possession until Shepard showed some life with about 20 minutes to go in the half with a few scoring opportunities. With 10:34 to play, Astro junior forward Alyssa Braun stole the ball at midfield and passed it to sophomore forward Amanda Weiss, whose left-footed shot was saved by Marist goal keeper Tori Jercich.

Marist quickly turned the momentum back in its favor as Socha assisted junior forward Ailish Rispin for the goal with 4:21 to play in the half. Shepard had a difficult time stopping Marist from crossing the ball into the box.

“We were giving up a lot of crosses,” Shepard coach Scott Wilkins said. “That was the biggest thing with today, they were just beating us in the air.”

The RedHawks led 2-0 at halftime, and poured it on in the second half. Socha scored again off another assist from Barrett with 29:21 to play.

“(Barrett) was working the end-line and making great passes,” Socha said.

Sophomore midfielder Kara Bock added the finishing touch with a fourth goal for Marist with 21:58 to play.

Socha, who finished with two goals and two assists, was the catalyst all afternoon for Marist. “(Socha’s) our go-to,” Marist coach Sean Maxwell said. “She played really well. She had a lot of touches, which is key for us.”

Another key for Marist (7-8-2) was its ability to snuff out the Shepard transition game. The RedHawk defense was responsible, including senior defender Erin Carmody. Despite a slow start, Carmody displayed an ability to stop the Astro attack in its early stages.

“(Carmody) started off a little slow and was getting frustrated,” Maxwell said. “But I feel like three-quarters of the game she did great. She’s a great player.”

Shepard (8-11) graduates four seniors, including Reule, captain Justine Ferguson, midfielder Kaitlyn Martinez and defender Stephanie Navarrete. Wilkins said they will be missed.

“All four girls were great,” Wilkins said. “They contributed on all parts of the field, off the field as well. I’m happy with what our seniors did this year.”

Marist takes on Stagg in the Marist Regional championship game on Saturday.

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