9-20-08 Vestal 2-0 W

Friars forward Kate Greer controls the ball. [PHOTO BY MICHAEL GANCI]

BY MICHAEL GANCI

ONEONTA, N.Y. — For Katherine Higgins, it was all about being in the right place in the right time. And, luckily for her, she happened to be in the right place twice. Higgins led the way with two goals and led the St. Anthony’s Friars to a 2-0 victory over the Vestal Golden Bears on Saturday morning in the first game of the ninth annual High School Hall of Fame Cup on the National Soccer Hall of Fame’s At-A-Glance Field.

St. Anthony’s started the game with momentum, but they were unable to capitalize on various opportunities. About two minutes in, a shot went past the Vestal keeper, but sailed just wide of the net. Shortly after, the Friars had a golden chance, and couldn’t covert. They hit the crossbar and the post on the same drive, yet came up empty.

Through one half, St. Anthony’s was dominating, and they played most of the half in the Golden Bears zone, yet the half ended in a scoreless tie. St. Anthony’s was outshooting Vestal 12-5 through 40 minutes of play. Players were visibly frustrated, but that wouldn’t last much longer.

St. Anthony’s finally broke the deadlock at 5:29 of the second half, when Katherine Higgins received a rebound from a Kate Greer corner kick and spun around and blasted the ball past the Vestal keeper.

“I was kind of lucky,” said Higgins. “I had to trap the ball down and put it past the keeper. It wasn’t easy. I was able to tuck it into the corner.”

After a short push by Vestal, St. Anthony’s was able to take advantage of a Vestal mistake. Higgins was handling the ball and fired it towards the front of the net, and it deflected off of the Vestal defense and went by keeper Meagan Edwards. Higgins was credited with her second goal of the game, and her third of the season.

Vestal did not give up, but St. Anthony’s stepped up their defensive intensity. Vestal only managed one shot against the dominant St. Anthony’s defense in the second half, and that made life very easy for Danielle Singson. Vestal was unable to figure the defense out before time expired, and St. Anthony’s had the victory.

Head Coach Dave Prutting didn’t seem overly impressed with his team’s performance. “For some reason we have been a bit up tight lately,” he said. “I played all 25 eligible players today, and I am glad things turned out the way they did.”

Up next for the Friars will be game two of the Hall of Fame Cup, which will be against Bethlehem on Sunday, September 21, at 11 a.m. on At-A-Glance Field.