Senior shut out

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The Patriots needed a win to bounce back from a shutout loss Thursday.

They got it Saturday.

The Jay County High School girls soccer team was nearly flawless in a 4-0 senior day win over the Centerville Bulldogs.

“One of the bigger things we’ve been talking about lately is not letting our mistakes become big problems,” said JCHS coach Renae Laux, whose team improved to 6-3 on the year. “Just being able to make up quickly for something that goes wrong because mistakes will happen.

“I feel like the girls did a great job of that today. The girls have been working hard in practice. Those things are starting to show on the field. That’s our ultimate goal — we just want them to continue to get better and better.”

After going scoreless in a 3-0 loss to Class 2A No. 9 Bellmont on Thursday, the Patriots struck early Saturday against the Bulldogs.

Gabi Bilbrey broke loose down the left side of the pitch and got in a one-on-one with Centerville keeper Ali Hemmerling. Bilbrey cut slightly toward the middle and used the outside of her right foot to put a shot into the right side of then net just 3 minutes, 41 seconds, into the game.

It was the team-leading 10th goal of the season for the freshman.

Mara Bader, Bilbrey’s classmate, notched her fifth goal of the year on a similar play. Bader got the ball near midfield and raced down the left side of the pitch, outrunning a pair of Bulldogs toward Hemmerling. Bader put a shot into the left side of the net as Jay County was on top 2-0, a score that stood at halftime.

Centerville only had two more offensive chances the rest of the half, but JCHS goalkeeper Tricia Ison saved both attempts.

The Patriots continued to pour on the chances in the second half — they had more than 30 opportunities for the game compared to just a half dozen for the Bulldogs.

Anhely Montes converted a penalty kick in the 62nd minute after Centerville was whistled for a hand ball in the 18-yard box, and in the 74th minute Halle Hill kicked home a pass from Bader to make it 4-0.

It was the fourth goal of the year for Montes and sixth for Hill. Bader’s assist was her second of the season, and the 11th helper total for the Patriots.

“The girls are really starting to play for each other,” Laux said. “They’re playing their role. We’re not ball chasing. We’re really starting to do what we need to do as a team.”

That includes solid play from the JCHS defense. Ison rarely had to work between the pipes and finished with just four saves, a product of the 10 girls in front of her not letting Centerville get too deep in the Jay County zone.

“It’s a good thing. You want your goalie to be bored, essentially,” Laux said. “Ultimately it doesn’t take but one little thing to happen and now you’ve got to be in the game so it becomes a mental game for her … I’m proud she gets to record the shutout today along with her teammates.”

It was the first career shutout for Ison and the Patriots’ first of the year.

Saturday marked the second-to-last home game of the regular season for seven JCHS seniors — Cheyenne Liette, Mikele Suman, Allison Jobe, Mackynzie Fairchild, Leah Hamilton, Montes and Hill.

“They are a group of girls that show up and work hard,” Laux said. The Patriots’ home finale is Thursday against sectional rival Yorktown. “They’re great kids. They’re coachable, good listeners, just everything a coach could ask for.”