Defensive miscues costly for Rochester girls in loss to Peru

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

PERU — Katy Jo Kieninger recorded a hat trick, and Cassandra Blong, Nora Brooks and Molly Mann also scored to lead the Peru girls soccer team to a 6-0 win over visiting Rochester at Tiger North Athletic Complex Thursday.

Rochester lost their fourth straight game and did not score for the third straight game. They are 3-8-1 overall and 1-4 in the Three Rivers Conference.

Rochester had four shots on goal. Taylor Navara had two, and Kelsey Walker and Mylee Heinzmann had one each. Ky Correll had the shutout in goal for the Lady Tigers (6-5, 2-2 TRC).

Peru was coming off a 9-2 loss to Northwestern Wednesday.

Though they resulted in losses, Rochester allowed just three goals in its previous two games combined to Maconaquah and Manchester.

“I don’t even know where to begin,” Rochester coach Chantal Rensberger said. “It’s just I have not had to ride the defense really hard this season. I feel like they’ve been the glue of the team, but when the defense falls apart, then everything falls apart. And the defense did fall apart.”

Blong took advantage of a turnover and beat Rochester freshman goalkeeper Alexandria Cortes-Gustafson with a top shelf finish from a 45-degree angle from the left side of the goal with 31:02 left in the first half to begin the scoring.

Brooks scored after Cortes-Gustafson bobbled a direct kick to make it 2-0. Kieninger scored to make it 3-0.

Mann redirected a free kick from Kieninger to make it 4-0 with 16:07 left in the half.

Cortes-Gustafson made a sprawling save to stop a Kieninger shot with 25:50 left, but a minute later, Kieninger tucked a shot just inside the right crossbar – it was momentarily confusing as the ball went through the net before the official declared it a good goal – to make it 5-0 and start a running clock, per the IHSAA Mercy Rule.

Kieninger completed the scoring with a swerving left-footed shot that she put inside the right post with 15:37 left.

“It was a very similar-sided game,” Rensberger said. “We have 12; they have 11. I’m very disappointed in our play tonight, and that’s probably the most I’ve been disappointed I’ve been in our play all season long. I feel like we were evenly matched with that team. We went to Maconaquah and lost 2-0 (Saturday). We went to Manchester and lost 1-0 (Monday). Maconaquah beat Manchester 2-1. Maconquah beat (Peru) 6-2. So I was like, ‘OK, we’re going to come in here,’ and it was just flat. From the start of the game, it looked like ping-pong – back and forth, not finding feet, not clearing the ball correctly, no communication, people falling on the ground, rolling around, not being able to beat the defender. Things that we should be doing that I know we can do, we did not do today at all.”

Rensberger cited Kieninger as a player that she would like for her players to emulate. She said Kieninger plays a simple style – “one touch, one touch, shot” – and quickly puts shots on goal while Rochester players dawdle with the ball too much.

Rensberger said that junior defender Bria Rensberger is dealing with multiple leg injuries – one on her lower leg, one on her quad. Navara has been battling a neck injury.

Coach Rensberger said the team is “tired” and “bruised up.”

“Bria’s got a fairly decent injury going on right now,” coach Rensberger said. “So I felt like she wasn’t as strong in the back half as she normally is. The last 10 minutes, I thought she picked it up pretty well for us, but it’s just little tiny, flubby things, and it’s very frustrating. I’m very frustrated.”