St. Joe Converts 2 Corner Kicks for a 4-0 District Title Over Webster

The way the soccer season ended for Webster Groves is not what the Statesmen had hoped for.

Played before a very large crowd on a very hot day, Webster was mauled by the Angels, 4-0, losing the title game of Class 3, District 8.

No matter, Websters’ squad left Frontenac with their heads held high. They played in the rarified air of a 22-3-1 season.

“Every team ends the season with a crushing loss, other than the eventual state champion,” said Webster’s coach Chris Allen.

“If you’d told me we’d have that kind of record, I would have told you, you are crazy.”

Webster soared to new heights. This was their first game contested for the district title since the 1990 season. They recorded the most wins in school history and beat Kirkwood for the first time in some time.

They were led by a sophomore, Maddie Pokorny all season long. She arrived at the field with 26 goals, 3 assists for 55 points and a remarkable 14 game-winning-goals.

St. Joe’s defensive game plan was pretty simple: keep Pokorny from the ball and from scoring. Everywhere she went, she had an escort of 2 and 3 players.

Angel coach Maureen McVey said the team stuck to their game plan. “They did exactly what we wanted them to do, move side to side and play with speed and pace. We wanted to wear them down and I think we did.

I brought the defenders together at the beginning of the game and I wanted one in front and one in back.”

One of those defenders is Nina Simon, a junior.

“I thought we played well together, and stuck with it as a team. We never gave up,” said Simon. “We just knew what we had to do (to win). We distribute wherever there are open spaces and we have lots of people who can finish,” said Simon.

Down 1-nil, Webster wasn’t worried. “We were just so disappointed to give up two corner kick goals. I think we only gave up one all year,” said Allen. “One we weren’t concerned with but the second goal (mere seconds before the half ended) that hurt, and the seed of doubt whether we could come back was planted in our minds.

You can’t give St. Joe easy chances. They took advantage of us, and absolutely pounced all over us,” he said.

St. Joe spread the scoring around evenly. Goals were scored by Kaley Nieters, (16th of the year); Kelly McLaughlin, Haley Kavanaugh and Anna Martin.

Kelsey Ponder, the goal keeper recored another shutout win.

With that, St. Joe is 16-2-0 and moving along to sectional play next week.