Xiong and Mathews help Lawrenceville play way into bracket
LAWRENCEVILLE >> When Jessica Magnuson decided to enter her Lawrenceville School girls soccer team into the Mercer County Tournament for the first time, she made it a point to schedule difficult games.
While the Big Red have come up short on the scoreboard, they showed in Tuesday’s playin game they’re better than your average No. 16 seed.
Grace Xiong scored a hat trick, Madison Mathews added the other two and Lawrenceville tallied the game’s final three goals for a 5-2 victory over West Windsor South.
“We’ve had a very unlucky seson,” said Xiong, whose 60thminute goal turned out to be the winner. “We’ve had a lot of shots go wide (or) over the crossbar, but I think our team is very talented and if we keep finishing like the way we did today, we’ll have a great finish.”
The Big Red (2-7-1) won for just the second time this season, but four of their seven losses have come against sides seeded in the top-five of the MCT field.
They’ll get another crack at Hopewell Valley, the top seed, in Thursday’s first round. The Bulldogs cruised to a 6-0 victory back on Sept. 17, but that was only Lawrenceville’s second game of the season.
Since then the Big Red have been competitive with Pennington (3-1), Princeton Day (2-1) and Notre Dame (3-1).
Can they cause trouble for the top seed?
“There needs to be some luck involved,” Magnuson admitted.
They’ll also have to play without Julia Simkus, their best defender, since she’s inelligble for the tournament as a fifth-year player.
“We need to be discilplined because they are a really talented team from top to bottom and not just attack-wise,” Magnuson said. “They’re really strong defensively, too, especially on their home turf. Everyone on our team has to work together as a unit and hope we get a couple breaks ... but we’re really excited to go up against the best.”
Lawrenceville dispatched 17th-seeded West Windsor South (2-14) thanks to some outstanding finishing by Xiong and Mathews.
Xiong scored a brilliant opener in the fifth-minute, weaving past two defenders and rounding the goalkeeper for an empty-net finish.
“I look for the open space and I look to take it,” Xiong said. “I know that I’m pretty fast on the field, so I try and use it. I saw an opportunity and I took it.”
Mathews, even by Xiong’s own admission, bested it with a long-range effort later in the half that rocketed into the top corner.
“She was coming off an injury, so we were all so proud,” Xiong said. “That shot, that was the goal of the day for me.”
The Pirates battled back second half, scoring twice in a span of six minutes. Tia Saade halved the deficit in the 49th with a tap-in at the backpost then turned provider by setting up Clare Clancey for the equalizer.
It only took the Big Red five minutes to regain the lead as Alondra Moreno assisted on Xiong’s second.
Mathews secured Lawrenceville’s place in the first round with 7:55 left and Xiong compelted her hat trick in the final minute.
“We had some really nice opportunities, and if we have them, we have to put them away,” Magnuson said. “Grace and (Madison) had some really nice finishes today, so that was great to add a few at the end.” Saade, Clancey (WWS). Xiong 3, Mathews 2 (L). Guest, Saade (WWS). Moreno, Chun (L).
6 (WWS). 21 (L).