Recker gets 100th goal as Blue Jays hold off Spartans

By Jim Metcalfe, The Delphos Herald
Published:  Wednesday, September 3, 2008 (2 months, 2 weeks ago)
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DELPHOS — St. John’s needed Tori Recker’s 100th goal Saturday afternoon.
It ended up being the game-winner as the host Blue Jays held off an outmanned but game Lima Senior girls soccer squad 2-1 on a hot day at the Annex.
“I had 97 coming into the year and it’s nice to get that monkey off my back. I couldn’t have done it without my teammates,” Recker acknowledged. “Coach (Jodi) Hoersten has moved me around — teams have their eyes on me. I don’t mind. Whatever I can do to help the team win.”
Lima Senior was missing a couple of starters due to injuries — only having 16 players to begin with.
Hoersten was pleased with the progress her team has shown in building a 1-2 mark.
“It was a tough game but it wasn’t indicative of how far we have come with our passing and communicating. They were much better today,” Hoersten noted. “It led to some good scoring opportunities, a few more than we had been getting in our first two games. We were getting the ball there.”
The Jays outshot their guests (0-3-1) 11-3; Spartan keeper Melissa Kleman had eight saves, plus took away more chances by being very active in the 18-yard box to snuff out long balls.
It was a very cleanly-played game (4 fouls total) and real scoring chances were few and far between.
The Jays had the first chance at 33:26 when Recker got a look with the keeper out but her 15-yarder from the left wing missed just wide right.
The Spartans got one of their shots at 26:11 when Tierra Washington got loose from the left wing but her 15-yarder was stopped by Samantha Stant (2 saves).
Emma Boggs put the Jays up 1-0 at 23:34. She got control in the middle nearly 30 yards out and floated one. With the sun possibly causing Kleman trouble, the orb floated over her head and into the net.
At 22:19, the visitors pulled even. Washington took advantage of a defensive breakdown to get a 1-on-1 with Stant. Her 15-yarder from the middle slid past Stant and into the cords.
After officials called a water break at 18:42 (they also did midway through the second half), Recker hit the century mark. Katie Neumeier fed her a ball down the middle. As she neared the goal, Kleman came out to cut off the angle but Recker eluded her and got a point-blank range shot that got inside the right post for a 2-1 lead.
With the Spartans loading the box with defenders the second half, neither team had many chances.
Recker fired a direct kick just outside the box at 37:44 but Kleman got it.
The Spartans had their only chance at 16:01 when Aspen Sybert shot from the top of the semi-circle but Stant nabbed it.
Becca Saine missed just wide right on a 19-yarder from the right wing at 10:52.
With under six minutes left, the Jays had two chances: Saine got loose but Kleman deflected it away; on the ricochet, Bailey Calvelage got a shot that was deflected away by a defender.
“We do miss Jamie (Moreo) from last year in the midfield; our offense and defense starts there,” Hoersten added. “The girls we have in there just needed game experience. Emma in particular is starting to become our leader in midfield.”
The Jays take on Jefferson 5 p.m. Thursday. The Spartans host Napoleon tonight at Lima Stadium.