First-place Fontbonne heads to playoffs

Xaverian 4, Fontbonne 0

Before the Bonnies completed the regular season with an undefeated 6-0 league record, they once again took on the Xaverian Clippers in a cross-divisional, non-league contest. Unlike their first meeting to open the season, when the Clippers beat the Bonnies 6-1, Fontbonne was better prepared and the game was scoreless at half-time.

“They’re a team that keeps coming at you,” said Fontbonne goalkeeper Corinne Connelly, who stopped 10 shots on goal in the first half. “They kept me busy and didn’t give up until the end.”

Although the Fontbonne defense initially managed to hold the Clippers scoreless, the floodgates opened in the second half.

After breaking through the Fontbonne defense, Samantha Russo connected for the Clippers’ first goal with a point blank shot on net. Russo’s score was then followed by goals from Ella Trigani, Chloe Brown and Caitlyn Thompson, using a new scoring approach that Xaverian coach Erin Meagher set up before the game.

“I was thankful to get this game in with Fontbonne before we play some more of our own league competition so we could try some new positioning with the girls,” Meagher said. “Fontbonne really held us well in the first half; but when the girls stuck to their new assignments in the second half, they really began to score.”

After the loss, Fontbonne completed the regular season with a 7-0 win over St. Saviour and a 3-0 win over Moore Catholic to finish in first place with a 6-0 record in the GCHSAA Tier 2/3 West Soccer League. The first-place finish puts them into the semi-final playoff round against the East’s Tier 2/3 second-place finisher, Mary Louis Academy (5-1-1).