When the First Colonial girls soccer team is firing on all cylinders — as it was Tuesday at Tallwood — the machine is tough to stop.
Methodical, devastatingly sharp and executing throughout, the undefeated Patriots toppled the Lions 4-0 for a Coastal Conference win and its 10th straight overall.
The Patriots front line showed again why it’s the Beach’s top scoring attack, but it was the team’s defense that impressed, shutting out a Lions squad that was averaging 5.5 goals per game.
“We held a high-powered team scoreless,” Patriots coach Joe Tucei said. “They’re a good team; they got athletes. We hadn’t played another team that’s had this many athletes, so it was a good win.”
Patriots junior midfielder Kai Sizemore opened the scoring in the 11th minute, capitalizing on an indirect free kick from a penalty on Lions junior keeper Kelsie Faber in the box.
First Colonial (10-0) continued to dominate possession in the first half but failed to crack an aggressive Faber, who stopped a multitude of clean looks at the net to keep the Lions close early.
The Patriots defense, led by senior center back Marlee McClendon, senior Kylie Goad and sophomore Reagan Tate, quieted the Lions’ attack by keeping their forwards moving sideways and clearing quickly and often. Tallwood’s top threat, Rosie O’Neal, was double-teamed and left shooting from 20-plus yards out. First Colonial took a 1-0 lead into halftime while holding advantages in shots (11-4) and corners (2-1).
“It’s what we worked on in practice,” Tucei said of his defense. “Two-touching, so everything is cleared out quickly.”
Tallwood (7-2-1) came out the aggressor in the second half, constantly providing pressure up front and generating better looks than in the first 40 minutes. Still, the Lions came up empty at the net.
Although Tallwood controlled the ball more and out-shot (13-6) and created more corners (4-0) in the second half, First Colonial’s bend-but-don’t-break defense stood tall, while its attack showed its knack for efficiency, netting three goals on just six shots in the final 40 minutes.
Patriots sophomore forward Idelys Vazquez scored First Colonial’s second goal in the 54th minute after quickly turning on Lions star defender Frances Hormoso and rifling a shot 15 yards out from the right side past Faber.
First Colonial sophomore forward Isabelle Blomdahl scored the back-breaker in the 74th minute, stealing a poor Tallwood clear and sliding an easy one past Faber, who had to rush out and challenge the breakaway.
Vazquez added the icing just three minutes later, sliding a shot past Faber, who was too aggressive in approaching the angle.
“It was frustrating,” Tallwood coach Danny McVey said after the game. “They did really well defending and we just didn’t capitalize on our opportunities. We knew coming in they were gonna be tough and physical. Today just wasn’t our day. Felt like we were doing the right things. Just weren’t doing them quick enough.”
Patriots freshman goalkeeper Chelsea Mojica was solid in net, stopping eight shots, while Faber also saved eight. Each team produced 17 shots.
“In our conference, today was a must-win for both team,” Tucei added.
The schedule doesn’t get easier for either club. First Colonial hosts Kellam (9-1-1) on Friday, while Tallwood hosts Cox (6-4).
