Blazers stick to plan, roll to victory
Notre Dame Prep in control from start to finish to post fourth straight triumph
The Notre Dame Prep soccer team had an effective plan to beat Mercy on Wednesday that started with getting to the ball first.
It gave the Blazers plenty of scoring chances and, just as important, kept the ball away from dangerous Magic forward Ada Clare Tempert.
The goals eventually came — one from Kailey Pelkey in the first half and others from Ellie Curry and Christine Scott in the second — as the No. 11 Blazers left their home field with a dominant 3-0 win over the No. 8 Magic in an Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference game.
Notre Dame Prep improved to 4-0 and 2-0 in the IAAM, while Mercy is 4-1 overall and 0-1 in the league.
“We knew that if we let them have time on the ball, they’re going to try to find [Tempert], so we made sure they couldn’t combine the second pass over the top,” Notre Dame Prep coach Val Teixeira said. “So we just had to be disciplined and keep and eye on her and also go forward with the ball.”
The Blazers controlled play from the start, regularly attacking from the outside and proving hungry when the ball was sent to the middle. Scott sent a cross from the right side that Mercy goalie Alivia McDermott couldn’t secure, allowing Pelkey to finish in front for a 1-0 lead with 18:42 to play in the first half.
On defense, the Blazers used Hudson Gentile and Katie Lala on Tempert, with help always nearby. The only time Tempert had a chance in a dangerous spot came with 7:50 left in the half, when she sent a shot from 12 yards that goalkeeper Alyssa Minnick dove to her left to stop.
Curry made it 2-0 with 33:08 left to play and the Blazers made it 3-0 late when Kate Patterson drove the right flank and sent a low cross that Scott finished.
“Last year, we had trouble scoring goals, but this year we’re doing better with that — everybody pushing up together,” said Curry, a senior captain. “We finished our chances and our back line really stuck to Ada.”
Mercy coach Doug Pryor said the Magic will learn from the game and regroup as they get set to visit Gerstell Academy on Friday.
“They deserved the win from the beginning to the end,” he said. “I think with them, every position they were just more athletic, so we had no time and they worked really hard. Their field, they earned it, they outworked us and they were a way better team than us today.”