On Saturday night, October 28th, the 32nd seed Nelson Hawks traveled to Cronin field to take on the #1 ranked Jesuit Crusaders, ending in a 10-0 halftime mercy rule.
In the 28th second of the game, senior Abby Cox finished a ball off of a layoff to put the Crusaders up quickly. Cox set the tone for the game and pushed her team to keep the energy and the quality up.
Only a minute later, junior Claudia Rose took the ball down from a header by her partner forward and placed the ball in the back of the net.
“It was a great start to the playoffs,” Rose stated after the game. “I thought we were playing really well together as a team. I am super excited for the next round and to continue to push ourselves as a team.”
The Crusaders were keeping great possession and creating many chances, and 10 minutes into the game the score was Jesuit 5, Nelson 0.
At the 20th minute, Marian Dunne finished a ball off a corner kick to put the Crusaders up by 7.
Cox struck again in the 31st minute from a passing sequence with the forwards. One minute later, Metro Co-Player of the Year, Cox scored yet again to get a hat trick in the first round of playoffs.
“Abby as a captain has had a really positive impact on the team this year and our success,” junior goalkeeper Lauren Butorac commented. “She pushes herself and others everyday to work their hardest and also holds us very accountable.”
Freshman Natalie Weber finished the game off in the 38th minute with the 10th goal of the game off a great left-footed shot.
Final score, Jesuit 10, Nelson 0
