Patriots take fourth in a row (09/29/04)

PORTLAND — The Patriots like this section of the schedule.

For the second straight year the Jay County girls soccer team has run off four straight victories with two games to play. The Blackford Bruins became the most recent victim in this year’s streak, falling to the Patriots 4-2 as the home team ran its record to 7-4-1.

The Patriots got off to a bit of a slow start against Blackford, but used some excellent offense as the goals came fast and furious after the 22-minute mark of the first half.

Jay County got on the board first, with Abby Schmiesing taking control on the left side and passing out toward the sideline to Jessica Heitkamp.

Heitkamp’s shot was deflected by goalie Nicole Parsons, who then rejected a follow-up shot from Heitkamp as well. The ball trickled just a few feet away from Parsons near the left post, and Patriot junior Amber Champ was the first to get to it.

She slid in just in front of Parsons, tapping the ball just under the goalie’s arms and inside the left post for the score. Her second career goal gave the Patriots a 1-0 lead with 17:22 left in the first half.

Blackford (4-8) answered less than a minute later when senior Erin Payne launched a shot over Jay County goalie Amber Loy’s head following a free kick.

Not to be outdone, the Patriots roared right back down the field on the ensuing kickoff.

Jamie Bruggeman took the ball down the right side and fired a shot which ricocheted off the right corner of the goal. Brittany Logue was ready for the rebound, sending a quick shot back toward the left corner.

Parsons seemed to make a great diving save to her right, but her body twisted when she hit the ground and the ball rolled out of her hands and into the goal for the score.

Logue’s goal came with 16:12 on the clock, and Jay County would never trail again.

“We started out very sluggish tonight,” said Patriot coach Sue Rager. “But after they got started in the first half I thought they did a really nice job. They were passing the ball together, they were working the ball down the field and they were scoring.”

“We were following the shots. A lot of times it seemed like there were five girls there trying to kick the ball in the goal and sometimes it just wouldn’t go in. Tonight it seemed like the girls were working better together as far as getting in there and scoring.

“The midfield did an excellent job tonight getting in position and moving the ball up the field — passing the ball to the strikers. Everything went well.”

Bruggeman added a third Jay County goal before halftime when Blackford was called for a hand ball. She knocked the penalty kick over Parsons’ head and under the cross bar for a 3-1 halftime lead.

The senior added another score midway through the fourth quarter, shooting a hard grounder from about 20 yards out. Payne again looked ready for the save, but the ball skipped through her hands and into the net to put the Patriots ahead 4-1.

Blackford got a final tally with just two minutes to play when a long shot by Payne took a high bounce over Loy’s head and into the net.

Jay County, which will look for its fifth straight win on Senior Night Thursday against Muncie Central, took 12 shots in the contest. Bruggeman accounted for four of those shots, scoring twice, and Champ took two shots.

Blackford finished with 10 shots on goal. Payne took five shots, and Holly McIntosh finished with two.

Loy made eight saves for the Patriots.

Rager said she hopes her team can carry its current momentum into the sectional tournament, which is two weeks away.

“We have Muncie Central on Thursday, which is always a tough game, and we have Yorktown on the road,” said Rager. “This is a good time (for a winning streak). Hopefully the girls will be up for Thursday, being senior night and everything, and they’ll play well and try to get another win.”[[In-content Ad]]