Red Raiders top Mainland 2-0; it is 3rd time teams have met this season
OCEAN CITY — On a cold, breezy day, the Red Raiders scored two first-half goals to top the Mustangs in the Cape-Atlantic League championship game Monday on the turf at Carey Stadium.
Ocean City senior captain Kasey McDonnell scored the opener off a corner kick and senior school scoring leader Summer Reimet padded the lead with a solo effort off a quick turnaround.
McDonnell, who plays the stopper position on defense, netted her first of the season in the 11th minute. Midfielder Hope Slimmer fired a corner kick into the box that forward McKenna Chisholm got a touch on before McDonnell headed it past Mainland goalkeeper Genevieve Morrison to make it 1-0.
About 20 minutes later, Reimet collected a loose ball off a throw-in about 20 yards from the net, turned and fired past a diving Morrison to make it 2-0 at 11:09.
Morrison, who was forced to make 12 saves, had a big one halfway through the first half when Reimet fired almost from point-blank range.
“You have to be prepared more mentally than physically because it’s all in your head when you are looking at a game like this,” Morrison said. “It’s a good competition. It’s nice to get that many shots because you don’t get that a lot in most games. It’s nice to have that challenge.”
Mustang coach Chris Meade gave credit to the Red Raiders for playing a good game.
“We knew what we’re up against coming in. We know they’re a top team and we feel like we’re right there as well,” Meade said. “I think both teams wanted to have the wind the first half, just to feel that energy.”
He said he was hoping the Mustangs would score in the first half against the wind and limit scoring opportunities until they had the wind in the second half, but it didn’t work out that way.
“That second one was big for them,” he said. “If it is 1-0 at the half, you don’t have such a hill to climb.”
The Mustangs fought hard from the opening whistle, giving everything they had and getting rewarded with some scoring chances.
“We had some chances and they didn’t go. They had a couple nice looks and they knocked them in. We had some nice looks and we didn’t knock them in and that’s the difference,” Meade said.
Ocean City coach Lisa Cuneo said winning the CAL title was just one of the goals the team has for this season.
“It’s coming in line and we’re just taking it as the next one,” she said. “Now our focus is on the coaches tournament.”
The Red Raiders exacted revenge from the Mustangs for their only loss this season, a 1-0 loss at the death of double overtime Oct. 12. (See story and photo gallery online at ocnjsentinel.com.)
Cuneo said the loss, coupled with a come-from-behind win Oct. 16 over Millville (11-1), were good for the players because they had to face adversity for the first time all season. Ocean City beat Millville 3-2 in overtime Saturday in the opening round of the four-team CAL tournament. It was Millville’s first loss of the season.
“Coming off the loss, that put us in a bad mindset but we had a chance to regroup and battled Millville. In program history, I don’t know if we ever came back from a two-goal deficit,” she said. “For that moment to happen prior to this, it all kind of slipped into place and gets them into the right mindset where they have to go out and work. They really had to show some grit.”
Cuneo said Mainland did a good job limiting Reimet, who is the school leader in single-season and career goals.
“She gets man-marked and they swarm her. The one girl holds her up and the others come,” Cuneo said, noting that Reimet still got one the scoreboard. “She’s a beast. It takes a lot more than one person to stop her.”
Raiders goalkeeper Tori Vliet made four saves for the shutout.
Ocean City was 14-1 after the game. Ocean City didn’t get a break from tough games and was playing Middle Township Tuesday.
Mainland (11-3-1) handed Middle Township (12-1) its first loss of the season Saturday in the other CAL game, beating the Panthers 2-1.
By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff