St. Pius wins battle of speed at VHS

This was a story of soccer teams – the girls of Veterans High and St. Pius X of Atlanta – that could run step for step with each other and where seniors at the high school level were few in number. So there’s no surprise that a quick spurt of goals one after the other would make the difference in the second-round GHSA 4A battle Wednesday.

Those goals would go to visiting St. Pius early in the second half, and the No. 2-ranked team in the state eliminated Veterans – top 10 itself and five-time region champions – from another bid to go deep in the playoffs.

A high school match lasts 80 minutes over two halves, and in only one did St. Pius find any space to score … and did it twice. For most of the action, Veterans coach Haley Walker had nine or 10 of her players playing on the defensive side against the Lions, and there was enough confidence in the speed of her club to get enough girls to the other end when there was a chance to mount an attack.

Both teams featured goalkeepers – Veterans represented by sophomore Victoria Moore – that could punt the soccer ball over midfield. Katie Luque – one of only three Lady Warhawk seniors – showed early she could keep up with St. Pius on the run and make an easy play for Moore.

Freshman Maranda Krirat would be the only Lady Warhawk at midfield at times, but she could create offense for her team as she did with the half only five minutes old. She charged down the right side, and sophomore Christina Wiswell took a 16-yard shot saved at 34:15.

Sophomore Sage Sammeli also created opportunities for Veterans, but St. Pius was equally adept on defense to keep the home team from maintaining long possession.

Mahalia Laguines, the second senior of note, prevented the Lions from scoring with the keeper drawn out at below the 30-minute mark. Then Moore saved a ball popped straight up at 29:10. She slid for a foot save just over a minute later when the Veterans couldn’t shoot from its next charge. On the ensuing Lion throw-in, Moore saved a 20-yarder.

No sooner than all of this happens, it was sophomore Brianna Wacome clearing the ball deep to the Veterans’ end. Sammeli took control and got involved in back-and-forth passing in the penalty box with senior Myranda Wyatt. The Lady Warhawks uncorked the hardest shot of the match so far, and it was saved on effort.

With the half getting down to 21 minutes, Wacome, Luque and freshman Anna Luque were busy and successful defending the corners. Katie Luque would break up St. Pius’ running in the center of the field and cleared out a pass towards the corner.

At 15:19, the Lions put three passes together and got off their best shot of the half saved by Moore. Three minutes later, as Veterans got nothing from a push by Krirat, Anna Luque did more stride-for-stride running the other way allowing Sammeli to regain the ball.

Moore’s slap save of a 15-yarder (11:55) gave St. Pius a corner kick. With the ball outside, they overran their prime shooting spot and lost the ball on the baseline.

For seven minutes there’s more steals and clears, and then the Lady Warhawks earned a free kick of 30 yards (3:37). It was caught in net. Moore would slap out another shot taken in the box a minute later, and Laguines cleared out the Lion corner kick. Still with the ball, St. Pius saw Moore do a sliding stop taking the half to the last minute.

Not 30 seconds into the second half, Veterans sophomore Janeyce Brown made the Lion keeper leap for a corner pass. Quick to the other end, Veterans’ packed defense forced a wide shot from the top of the box.

It was at 36:32 that St. Pius put passes together in the box to find a goal up high on the right post.

Veterans took the ball after the kickoff deep into a corner, but the Lions headed it away from the net. At 35:25, St. Pius was on the baseline right, passed and punched in the second goal.

Defense from the Luque sisters prevented a goal at 30:10, but then Anna Luque would leave the match for an injury at 26:41.

The substitute was freshman Kira Council, and she produced with a body block off St. Pius’ corner kick (23:10). Brown also forced a corner as did Council twice.

Sammeli would also have to leave play hurt at 16:20 but did return. The Lady Warhawks continued to play strong defense led by Katie Luque and Moore’s upclose save at 14:30. Laguines and Danyelle Merrill got Veterans a corner (8:30), and Wacome tried to generate an attack off the St. Pius clear to no avail.

Wyatt took the final shot for the home team on the run, but it was saved at 4:30. Moore saved a running chip at 2:03.

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