by Robert Youngs, Jr.
With the spotlight firmly directed on them, seniors on the Kalamazoo College women's soccer team received a grand send-off at MacKenzie Field with a 1-0 overtime win over league-leading Calvin on Thursday.
Jackie Short's fourth game winner of the season pushed the Hornets to a 1-0 triumph in the 97th minute. Short took a headed pass from forward C.J. McCarthy at the right front corner of the Calvin penalty area and bent in a shot past Knights' keeper Ashton Hearn.
Another big part of the Hornets' winning play was Megan Martinez, who took the ball at midfield near the benches and instantly returned it back near the box to McCarthy.
"Every point is important and to get three points against a team that's leading the league is really big, especially for the seniors," said Hornets coach Bryan Goyings. "Playing for our season, if we don't get these three points, it's going to be tough to get into the tournament."
"We head to Saint Mary's controlling our destiny, so that was a huge goal," he added. "Winning in overtime, there's nothing better."
Regulation action between the Hornets and Calvin proved to be quite interesting despite no goals between the two sides. Both defenses were equal to the task brought by the forwards.
By the seventh minute, Calvin had won three corner kicks and played in the Kalamazoo end for the majority of that time span. In response, midfielder Natalie Reszka and forward C.J. McCarthy established the first attack of the evening, as Reszka deftly slid the ball between a defender's legs on the left side of the Knights' penalty area. The attack yielded an empty result.
A Hornet attack in the 13th, a counterattack in the 16th and another attack in the 23rd also looked to put the ball past the goal line, but did not happen. Needing to keep Calvin out of the net, keeper Lucy Mailing made a great play to punch the ball out in the 35th minute on a re-entry service from Calvin's Elle Burman that was headed nowhere but in.
Kalamazoo senior Martinez also contributed with a great defensive play just before the break, as she booted out a rolling service from Calvin's Christina Drost. The attack came from the right edge of the six-yard box and threatened to put the Knights in front.
Defensive efforts continued after half. Jordan Meeth blocked a shot by Calvin's Francesca Smith in the 52nd. Three minutes later, Mailing made save from Smith to keep the Knights scoreless.
"We haven't given up a goal in four games, and that's been key," said Goyings. "That group has really come together and I think Meeth was our best defender tonight."
K continued to harass the Calvin defense late in the second half, winning two corner kicks and registering a shot on target. Also key were defensive stops in the 85th minute and in the 92nd minute.
Short put three of four shots on net and McCarthy put two on target, as well. Mailing made eight saves, all of them crucial to the winning effort.
"C.J. and Jackie only need one opportunity," Goyings said. "You give Jackie space, and she made them pay."
"There's a reason she's scored almost 60 goals here in her career," he added. "But the work's not done. We're not guaranteed a spot in there yet, but we're definitely in a good spot."
Kalamazoo ends regular season action with a 3 p.m. match at Saint Mary's on Oct. 31.