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Jackson Heads Trinity Back To Soccer Semis; Cor Jesu Ousts West, IWA
By Jim Wieners
Trinity Catholic High School sophomore Alexis Jackson has been leading the Girls Soccer Titans in goals scored with 13 but on May 27 Jackson did something that she never has done and it became a winner.
In the Class One State Quarterfinal game at the Anheuser-Busch Center, Fenton, Jackson headed in a crossing pass from senior Kelli Costello in the last minute of the second half to give the Titans a 2-1 win over Archdiocesan Athletic Association rival John F. Kennedy. It allowed the 11-13-2 Titans to return to the State Semifinal game this Friday, June 4, for a 2 p.m. game against Barstow on Field 5, the same field Trinity won over Kennedy. Barstow, a private co-ed school in Kansas City making its first semifinal appearance, is just across the street from the state of Kansas and is less than three miles south of boys athletic powerhouse Rockhurst, on State Line Road.
Prior to the Trinity-Barstow game, Springfield Catholic, third in Class One State last year is playing their fifth State Semifinal game at 12 noon against defending state champion St. Vincent, from Perryville, in only their second Semifinal appearance. Saturday, June 5 on Field 1, the losers from June 4 have a 10 a.m. game for third place while the winners play at 4 p.m. for the title. St. Vincent won it last year, 3-1 over Trinity, while the other three teams, including Trinity, are seeking their first title in girls soccer.
“It wasn’t pretty soccer but that’s the way we play,” said athletic director and head soccer coach Vince Drake. The Jackson goal, Drake said, “was a great way to finish a game.”
The semifinal game against Barstow comes eight days after defeating Kennedy, which came eight days after winning District Four. This much time off is good to rest the wounded and prepare for the next opponent but three game separated by 16 days is one thing Drake does not like. ”I don’t like the format,” said Drake.
In District Four at Trinity the Titans started off with a 5-1 win over Winfield on May 18, thanks to four second-half goals, three by Jackson, to break a 1-1 halftime tie. On May 19, however the District title game “ended up being a tough battle with Orchard Farm,” Drake said. It went into two overtimes and Jen Eaton scored the game-winner as the Titans edged the Eagles, 2-1.
Meanwhile in Class Three Cor Jesu ended the season for Hazelwood West and Incarnate Word Academy. Cor Jesu shut out West, 4-0, on May 25 and shut out IWA 1-0 in overtime May 29. West was 25-2 with a win over Trinity, 7-0, and two wins over Pattonville, 2-1 and 2-0 while IWA won state the last two years. So on June 4 on Field 1 Cor Jesu, who won state in 1985 will play Liberty at 5 p.m. while Pattonville, third in state last year, plays at 7 p.m. against Columbia Rock-Bridge, third in Class 4A state in 2000. On June 5 the two winners play at 6 p.m. on Field 1 while the losers play for third place on Field 5 at 1 p.m.
