By Rob Potter
JEFFERSONVILLE — September 26, 2003 – The tide of momentum turned quickly in Tuesday’s OCIAA girls’ soccer match at the Jeffersonville-Youngsville campus of the Sullivan West Central School District.
With the score knotted at 1-1 early in the second half, Marlboro’s Jessica Congemi beat a Sullivan West defender and proceeded to move the ball closer to the net. Congemi then sent a low shot into the corner of the net to give the Lady Iron Dukes a 2-1 lead just a minute and 45 seconds after the halftime break.
Congemi, who also scored Marlboro’s lone first-half goal, then added a pair of goals later in the second half to lead Marlboro (3-4, 2-2 OCIAA) to a 4-1 win over the Lady Bulldogs in the OCIAA Division IV contest. All four of Congemi’s goals were unassisted.
After the match, SW Coach Mike Mahoney noted that Congemi’s second goal was a key factor in the match.
“We made a defensive mistake and then they had the lead,” Mahoney said.
Of course, it didn’t help the Lady Bulldogs’ cause when Congemi registered her third and fourth goals within a 45-second span later in the second half.
SW (2-8, 1-3 OCIAA) kept attacking, however. With about 13 minutes remaining, Heather Lander kicked the ball towards the Marlboro net. However, goalie Caitlyn Heinzinger stopped the shot.
Lander sent another good shot to the net four minutes later, but Heinzinger again made the save.
Heinzinger, a junior, was credited with 13 saves in the match, while SW senior goalie Amanda Patterson made five saves.
“For about the first 25 minutes of the match, we played flat,” Marlboro Coach Omar Elizondo said. “But then Jessica sprang for her [first] goal and that got us going.”
Congemi’s first goal at 35:02 of the first half tied the game at 1-1.
SW had taken a 1-0 lead when Lander scored an unassisted goal 8:10 into the match.
Elizondo praised the performance of Congemi as well as fellow seniors Janelle Ferguson and Cara Walsh.
“Those three are the heartbeat of our team,” Elizondo said. “The other players follow their lead.”
Despite the defeat, Mahoney was happy with his squad’s effort throughout the match.
“We’re young and we’re learning,” he said. “I was pleased that the girls played well. They definitely came to play.”