Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death

The Liberty Missouri girls soccer team has to be the cleanest team in the state. They got to take not one but two sets of showers, following a 3-1 loss at St. Joseph’s Academy Saturday.

The Angels handed the visiting Lady Jays a bar of soap, and they slipped on it big time, surrendering s 1-1 halftime tie for a 3-1 loss.

“We sure didn’t want to go overtime, but I would have taken it,” said Liberty coach Tom Rottjakob.

Undoubtedly, the girls behind him wanted no part of that.

The Lady Jays had a tough three days in St. Louis, losing all three matches, including 6-2 to Incarnate Word. “I think the Knights were furious. We beat them earlier this week,” said Angels sophomore midfielder Alli Magaletta.

The Angels scored twice within a brief span, all with less than 4 minutes, 38 seconds left in regulation play.

The go-ahead goal started with a very artful bicycle in bounds throw started by 5-foot-2 freshman Kassie Flynn. Flynn worked the ball to the offense and when the ball got to Nieters, she banged a header past second half goal keeper Alex Neely for the 2-1 lead. Moments later, Magaletta connected on a header for the final score of 3-1.

Magaletta was pleased with the goal. “That felt good, especially on such a hot day.” The Saint used a pop up tent to try and get some heat relief on the sidelines, and the thermometer reached 91 degrees on the turf.

Aly Trost, junior attacker scored the first goal of the game some 22 minutes into an even-Steven back and forth first half.

McKenzie Kern, senior forward tied the match at 1-1, powering the ball past St. Joe’s first-half goalie Kelsey Ponder.

Rottjakob took the loss in stride. “We’ve been up, we’ve been down this season. At least with districts coming up, we’ll have an all new record,” he said.

Both Magaletta and Nieters said the heat took its toll.

As Nieters said, “I’m glad we won. At least we don’t have to go out there and take our sprints,” she said.

Magaletta indicated they were aware the Liberty girls had prom on their minds. “They mentioned that to us,” she said.

Maureen McVey, who was recently announced going into the St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame was happy to win. “They performed to my expectations. They have learned to play as a team and let the ball work for them. She half expected a mad Liberty team might control the game and win. “I’m sure glad I was wrong on that prediction,” she said.

St. Joe plays in the Kirkwood District along with the Pioneers, Ladue and Webster Groves. “They haven’t seeded the district yet. We could play as early as next Saturday,” she said.