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Jacksonville’s Bailey Cody sends a shot past Southeast’s keeper and into the net Thursday for a goal. The Lady Crimsons rolled to a 7-0 victory over Southeast at their last home game of the year.
Clayton Stalter
Lady Crimson goalie Nichole Chatham makes a save against Southeast in the second half.
Clayton Stalter
Jacksonville’s Maurissa Moulton works to settle the ball Thursday against Southeast.
Clayton Stalter
Crimsons finish season with a boom
JHS sophomore Cody explodes in 7-0 win
The way forward? How about moving sophomore Bailey Cody to forward? Jacksonville High girls soccer coach John Mansholt felt his squad needed a little extra “bam!” in its pan, so he shifted the lanky, versatile Cody up to the front line, and sure enough, “bam!” happened.
If you were a minute or two late to Alumni Field for Thursday’s Senior Night contest against Springfield Southeast, most of it happened before you took your seat. The Crimsons ambushed the Spartans with three goals in the first three minutes, then set it on cruise control from there for a surprisingly easy 7-0 victory.
“I didn’t expect this,” said Mansholt. (Southeast) has played some teams pretty tough. They played Springfield High to a 1-0 loss and they’ve played some other common opponents really close.”
It was never close on Thursday. If Cody didn’t make it happen, she sure helped, scoring or assisting on all five of Jacksonville’s goals in the first half. She had two assists (to Taylor Darnell and Brooke Beets) and one goal (from an Abby West assist) in the game’s first two minutes and 27 seconds.
“I was just ready to come out and play,” said Cody. “I was excited. I was pumped up for Senior Night. I wanted my seniors to go out with a boom.”
Bam. Boom. Whatever. Each of Jacksonville’s first three goals came on sudden breakaways from midfield toward the Southeast net, and each dug the hole deeper for the Spartans. Cody closed out her virtuoso first half by assisting sophomore Filie Alfano (with just under 16 minutes to go in the half) on a score, and then — aptly — taking in her second goal of the night unassisted, giving JHS a 5-0 lead.
“The last three matches, we’ve moved (Cody) to forward, and she’s come through in flying colors,” said Mansholt, who said he wanted his team to put together a dominant final week of this regular season, after Friday’s disappointing, 3-0 loss to Rochester at home.
“We’ve been working really hard this week to get things turned around after that Rochester game,” Mansholt said. “We had some things to prove.”
Consider it proven. The Crimsons whipped up on Springfield Lutheran on Monday (5-0) with Cody providing two goals and two assists, then took care of a previously once-beaten Pleasant Plains squad (3-1) with senior Jessie Bonds twice finding net.
Thursday’s 7-0 beat down of Southeast was just what Mansholt wanted to see, as his team now looks toward Wednesday’s first round regional game against Quincy High, and Quincy’s Flynn Stadium.
“We’ve got all cylinders going in the right direction,” Mansholt said. “We’re still hungry, we’re eager. We’re a little banged up and beat up, but not as bad as in years past. I think we proved to people that when we come to play, we can play with the best.”
Halfway through the second half, Darnell notched her second goal of the night, unassisted, and West scored from a Beets assist in the final minutes to make it an even 7-0.
Jacksonville (14-6-1) outshot the Spartans on goal, 19-4. JHS goalkeeper Nichole Chatham, a freshman, stopped all four Southeast shots at her net.
Now it’s on to regionals for the team. Jacksonville did not play archrival Quincy at all during the 2008 regular season. The Crimsons will get their shot Wednesday in Quincy — with the winner advancing to take on either Quincy Notre Dame or Bethalto Civic Memorial for the regional championship.
Can Jacksonville beat Quincy?
“I think it’s very do-able,” said Cody. “If we come out with our best game and play well, then I think we can run with the best.”
