Mooney blanks Liberty

By Jim Flick

Sophomore Amy Vinopal scored two goals for the defending district champs.

STRUTHERS – Cardinal Mooney burst out to an early lead and coasted in the second half to defeat Liberty 7-0 Monday in a Division II sectional semifinal at Valley Sports.

Sophomore Amy Vinopal scored the first two goals for Mooney (5-7-4), giving the Cardinals a 2-0 lead 12 minutes into the first half.

By halftime, the lead had swelled to 6-0.

Mooney’s dominance on offense kept the ball away from Liberty. Most of the game was played on Liberty’s side of the field.

In fact, Mooney goalies recorded only two saves for the game, one in each half, while Liberty (0-12-1) goalie Victoria Serrano was credited with 27 saves.

“We’re young,” said Mooney coach Cary Lemasters, whose team won last year’s district crown. “We’re building for the future. We lost a lot of talent after last season.”

Lemasters explained that replacing lost talent is the reason why his team recorded a losing record during the regular season.

Because every team is automatically entered in the post-season playoffs, “you can take the whole regular season to get ready for the playoff, which is what we did,” he said.

“Now, we’re ready,” he added, predicting his team will make a strong run in the playoffs.

Explaining his team’s quiet second half, Lemasters said, “We spent the second half working on possession and rotating the ball.”

“I’m proud of the team,” said Liberty coach Jeff Rebraca. “My girls played a strong game. The effort was there. It’s a young team, and we’re getting stronger. We’re growing.”

Rebraca praised his goalie, pointing out Serrano is a freshman who is relatively new to the game and recorded a shutout in a game earlier this season.

She stopped a dozen Mooney shots in the first half and 15 more in the second half.

The Cardinals commanded the game from the start. Vinopal knocked home the first goal just five minutes into the game. She was later credited with an assist.

After Vinopal scored her second goal, sophomore Hannah Balogh, junior Emily Groubert, senior Brigid Trewella, and sophomore Natalee Mulhall added goals in the first half.

In the second half, Mooney’s offense eased up.

The Cardinals’ only second half goal was scored by sophomore Rachael Letscher, who had played goalie in the first half.

Senior Jenn Lawrence defended the goal for Mooney in the second half.

Each Mooney goalie was credited with one save.

In addition to, Vinopal, Mooney senior Breanne Donoghue and Groubert were each credited with an assist.

The win qualified Mooney for a game at 7 p.m. Thursday against South Range.