By Fred Kroner
Brea Benson scored the only goal Mahomet-Seymour would need – and the only one it would get – on a first-half assist from Cayla Koerner and the Bulldogs made it stand up in a 1-0 non-conference win at home over Morton on Thursday (May 13).
“Being true to the lineaments of their character this season, the Bulldogs were able to jump on Morton early,” M-S coach Jeremy Davis said. “Since the first two games of the season, the Bulldogs have typically started at full tilt and been up within the first 10 minutes of every game.
“Cayla Koerner checked back for a ball, baiting the Morton center backs to follow her. Brea Benson charged into the vacated space and took it to goal. She cleanly finished it to give the Bulldogs an early lead.”
The win was the ninth in a row for M-S, which has outscored its first 10 opponents by a combined 60-9 margin. The shutout was the team’s fifth this spring.
“This was a solid team win, as several players stepped up at different times,” Davis said. “Grace Larson came up big in a few clutch moments as Morton had a 10-minute span where they controlled the game.
“The defensive line as a whole had one of their cleanest games, regularly tracking and denying dangerous chances before they happened.”
On Saturday (May 15), Koerner notched four goals, Benson scored twice, and six teammates hit one goal apiece as M-S recorded a season’s high for goals scored in a 12-1 triumph at home over Decatur St. Teresa.
Koerner also had four assists and Benson contributed three assists.
Other goal-scorers for the Bulldogs, who led 8-0 at halftime, were: Emma Dallas, Anna Hawley, Elise Hertling, Nyah Biegler, Lauren Schnepper and Delaney Smith.
Adding assists were Hertling, Schnepper, Abby Bunting, Delaney King and Ameia Osman.
“It was one of the more dominating performances of the year,” Davis said. “The girls were asked to avoid playing the ball long, and instead play it short and quick throughout the game.
“Pushing themselves to take the more challenging path, they played beautifully. Mismatched games can sometimes cause teams to play down to opponents. Mahomet avoided the pitfall well.”
The Bulldogs (10-1) own a 10-match winning streak and for the recently completed week went 4-0 and outscored opponents 31-2.
In 11 matches, Koerner has netted a team-best 28 goals. Benson is next with 10 goals and has a team-high 18 assists. Koerner has 13 assists.
M-S is 10-1 overall and returns to action on Tuesday (May 18) at Mount Zion.
In the latest Maxprep rankings, the Bulldogs are rated fourth in the state in Class 2A and 13th overall for all classs. Nationally, M-S checks in at 139th.
The Bulldogs’ undefeated junior varsity squad finished off Morton 1-0.
