La Salle-Peru tops rival Ottawa for I-8 win

LA SALLE – A quick goal and then an even quicker counter were huge keys for the La Salle-Peru girls soccer team Monday afternoon against rival Ottawa.

The Cavaliers (7-6, 4-2) received a goal by freshman Danica Scoma – the first of her hat-trick – in the opening minute, and then after the Pirates (4-8, 2-4) tied the match up they took the lead for good only 18 seconds later on the way to a 5-3, Interstate Eight Conference victory at the LPHS Sports Complex.

“This was, I guess, my first really big game. Getting that first goal today really helped me relax and gave me a lot of confidence for the rest of the game.”

—  L-P freshman center midfielder Danica Scoma

“This was, I guess, my first really big game,” said Scoma of her first three-goal game with a smile. “Getting that first goal today really helped me relax and gave me a lot of confidence for the rest of the game. Being a freshman, there have been times my confidence hasn’t been where it should be, but today it definitely wasn’t an issue, and scoring right off the start was a huge boost for my mindset.

“I think this was one of our all-around better games this season as far as being aggressive, ball possession and really just working together. Today, and really this whole season, has been a great experience for me.”

After falling behind early, Ottawa junior Gabi Krueger scored on a short strike from the right-wing to draw her club even.

On the restart, L-P’s Litzy Lopez corralled a missed clearing attempt by the Ottawa defense and found the back of the net from close range. In the 28th minute, Scoma netted her second goal on an assist from Abigail Polle, and Brook Schiffbauer’s 15-yard shot deflected off the keeper’s hands and bounced in to make it 4-1 at the half.

“At halftime, we talked about having confidence in ourselves and continuing to compete,” said Ottawa coach Sean Porter, his club losing to L-P, 6-3, in a non-conference match earlier this season. “I think those were a couple of aspects that we struggled with during the first half and what was really the difference.

“La Salle-Peru has some very skilled players, and they were playing with a lot of confidence. They were getting a majority of the first touches and 50/50 balls, and that was also a key factor today. We improved from the first half and are a much better team than the first time we played them. We are a young team and have some things to work on, but we are headed in the right direction for sure.”

The Pirates made it a two-goal match just over midway through the second half on Krueger’s second goal on a shot from 20 yards out that deflected off an L-P defender.

Scoma finished off her amazing day 10 minutes later on a blast from right in front, while Ottawa’s Rylee Duncan scored on a perfectly-placed, 30-yard shot into the top left corner of the net off an assist from Krueger with 11 minutes to play.

“I thought we did a great job of keeping our composure after Ottawa tied it up.” said L-P senior goalkeeper Lea Selquist, who had 10 saves. “We just kept our cool. We were very aggressive from the start, and I thought we passed the ball very well. I have the best seat in the house, and it was a blast watching my teammates play such a solid game. It’s always great to win, but it’s even better against Ottawa.”

L-P outshot Ottawa, 35-16, overall, including 17-13 in on target attempts, while the Pirates’ Morgan Stone had 12 saves.

“No probably not, she’s a pretty talented player,” said L-P coach Christin Pappas when asked if this will be the last hat trick she sees from Scoma. “I feel our team, even as young as it is, has a lot of talent, and it branches out from our keeper all the way to our forwards. Today was a game that girls who would normally score goals didn’t, but others stepped up in their place. This was a true team win with everyone contributing in one way or another.

“The way this team has come together this season is unlike any team I’ve coached before. They truly play for each other, and they don’t care who gets the credit. They wanted this game today, and it showed right from the first minute.”