Gems Stay Unbeaten With 3-0 Win Over Canes

Villa Joseph Marie head coach Rich Finneyfrock didn’t have much to say following the Gems' 3-0 win over Catholic Academies League Villa Maria, except of course to “compliment” the officiating crew for giving new meaning to the phrase “interpretation of the rule."

Fortunately for Villa Joe and their fans that made the trek through the main line, cooler heads prevailed, more specifically the head of one freshman, as ninth grader Alexa Fabbri scored two of the three Gems goals on identical head shots off of laser-guided indirect kicks booted by senior captain Emily Market.

“We have developed such a good bond,” Market said. “I have total faith in Alexa. We practice those kicks every day; I just put it there and she did a great job punting in the net.”

Had it not been for Fabbri’s heroics, it may have been a very long bus ride back to school for Market as she hit the joint of the post and cross bar midway through the first half that concluded in a scoreless tie.

“Yeah, it would have been a long ride home," Market added. “I would have seen that one in my sleep. We got the win, which was the biggest thing.”

Ironically, it was Market’s goal with 25:27 left in the second half, which gave the Gems a 2-0 edge, that tipped the Karma scale back in their favor as she kicked the ball toward the net that caromed of a Hurricanes defender and wound up behind senior goaltender Meredith Miller, who had been sensational for the first hour of the contest.

“We didn’t play very well overall to put it mildly,” said Villa Maria Head Coach Gary Christopher. “That being said, they got two goals on amazing perfectly struck head balls and that second goal, they could try that 100 times and it goes in once. So if you look at it that way, three plays changed the game.”

Defensively in the first half, both squads quashed scoring attempts in their zone and supported the goaltenders, which combined for 17 saves before the intermission, the biggest coming as Miller stopped three successive shots on one VJM possession.

“Their goalie made some really good saves early on," Fabbri said. “I was glad to get the first goal after we worked so hard but came away with nothing. As a freshman I am so lucky to have such supportive teammates. We all have become so close and I would do anything for any of them.”

On the way home from being eliminated in the District One final last season, the Gems circled this day on the calendar in their heads as the day to settle a score that cost VJM a District title.

“We definitely made a note of this day when the schedule came out,” said Market, who had a goal and two assists. “They ended our chances for a district title last year and we wanted to stay unbeaten, knock on wood, and beat them in the process."

Following the 3-0 shut out loss to the Gems, Villa Maria coach Christopher was already referring to the next time the two perennial contenders for the CAL championship will meet in his post game comments.

“We will definitely spend some time next week working on directs and indirect kicks,” Christopher said. “We don’t typically spend a lot of time on them, but today we saw that we have a weakness there. The first goal was great but it should have never happened a second time, the identical play. We also now know who to mark the next time we meet.”

The win improved the Villa Joseph Marie, who plays next on Sunday at home against Nazareth Academy, record to 7-0 overall and dropped the Hurricanes to 4-3-2 overall with their next game slated to be Tuesday at Mount St. Joseph Academy.

Villa Joseph Marie        0            3            -3

Villa Maria                   0            0            -0

Second half

27:13   VJM            Fabbri assisted by Market

25:27   VJM            Market

12:19   VJM            Fabbri assisted by Market