First-half burst by Heft, Popes decks DSHA

The Journal Sentinel staff

West Allis The moves are quick, fluid and balanced.

But balance is something the opposition never finds when Jenny Heft is on the field.

Heft scored two goals in the first half to lead the Milwaukee Pius XI girls soccer team to a 4-1 victory over rival Milwaukee Divine Savior Holy Angels on Friday at Rainbow Park.

"It was our first really big game of the season," Heft said. "We've been ready for it since we played last year; Divine Savior is always a big rival, and we were really prepared to play them."

Heft has eight goals in leading the Popes to a 3-0 record in the Metro Conference. Divine Savior fell to 3-1 in the conference.

"Today, I just seemed to be in the right spot and was ready to go for the finishes," Heft said.

Pius wasted no time in getting out in front, thanks in no small part to some mistakes by the Dashers' defense.

Leg 1 ends here Heft scored just 2 minutes into the game after Divine Savior was unable to clear the ball from its penalty area.

She took the ball, broke to her left and fired a left-footed shot into the upper-left corner of the net to give the Popes a 1-0 lead.

Before the Dashers were able to regroup, Sandy Jakubczak won a ball in Divine Savior's end and put it past goalkeeper Grace Hagen at 18:00 to give Pius a 2-0 lead.

Another turnover was gathered by Pius' Bridget Kenny in the Dashers' end 10 minutes later, and she passed to Heft, who once again found the back of the net, giving Pius a 3-0 lead before halftime.

"I think it was really important to get the tempo of the game going to make it our game," said first-year Pius coach Joanie Vespalec. "It was really important to score in the first 10 minutes."

That's something Divine Savior coach Dan Stadler did not want to see.

"We gave them some chances," Stadler said. "I lost nine seniors and nearly the whole defense, and it's going to take a while for them to gel. This is re Leg 2 ends here ally the first competitive game we've played, and now they know it's all-out until it's over."

The Dashers didn't quit, however, coming close on several chances in the second half until Meghan Phelan put the ball in the net at 50:00 after teammate Patricia Miller's shot put Pius goalkeeper Katie Grellinger out of position.

But Pius put the game away 3 minutes later when Michelle Koziczkowski's long-range shot slipped through the hands of Katie Kasdorf, who replaced Hagen in goal in the second half, to give the Popes the final margin of victory.

The meeting between the two teams is the first of two regular- season games. Pius beat the Dashers, 1-0, in the Wisconsin Independent Schools Athletic Association title game last season, and a post-season meeting this season is not out of the realm of possibility.

Score Round 1 for the Popes.

"Well, it's early, and there's a long way to go," Stadler said. "I know we'll see them again, and hopefully, we'll be ready."

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