Pearson leads Lawrence in win

GIRLS SOCCER

By: John E. Powers
   The Lawrence High School girl’s soccer team didn’t allow last Saturday’s loss in the Mercer County Tournament to top-seed Steinert linger. The Cardinals, led by senior Sarah Pearson, bounced back Monday with a dominating 2-1 win over Allentown in a tournament consolation game.
   Pearson, a team captain, said that Saturday’s 10-0 setback was a learning tool the Cardinals used to their benefit. She had both goals as the Cardinals out shot their opponents 22-6.
   "It was frustrating, obviously, losing by that much, but you can learn from an experience like that to keep playing even though you’re losing by so much," she said. "We knew that we had played Allentown before and had lost a close game, so we knew this was a game we could possibly win. But we also knew we couldn’t take them too lightly. We reminded everybody that and went hard from the start."
   Head coach Dave Boggs said that style is the only way Pearson knows how to play.
   "She’s been awesome," Boggs said. "She goes to every ball 100 percent."
   Pearson scored in the first half off a header from a cross by Jennifer Korngut, and then made it 2-0 in the second half. That goal was assisted by senior Erika Buher.
   "We were so excited to play and the mood I thought was very light and it helped," Pearson said.
   Pearson, a four-year player, was scheduled to play in her last scholastic game Wednesday when the Cardinals were set to play at Robbinsville in another county tournament consolation game. Pearson, a talented vocalist, is hoping to attend St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn. She hopes to play in college.
   "I’m hoping I can continue to keep playing soccer," said Pearson, who said she’s been playing since she was five. "I couldn’t give it up."
   Boggs said experienced players like Pearson and an infusion of youth has been a key in keeping the Cardinals’ attitude high despite the 3-12-2 record. Freshman Nikki Eversberg made seven saves in Allentown game. The Cardinals lost 14 players to graduation last June.
   "A lot of those players were a good core of our team, so we had a lot of new players this year and it was hard," Pearson said. "But we learned from the experiences and I think by the end of the season, the new players caught on. The pace of the game is so much faster now."
   Lawrence was the 16th seed in the county tournament, while Allentown (3-14) was 15th."Obviously it was a different opponent than the one we had Saturday, but our kids played really well," Boggs said.
   The Cardinals lost 3-0 to a strong Hopewell Valley team last Thursday, and were beaten by West Windsor-Plainsboro North 2-0 Wednesday.
   "We played well, we did OK," Boggs said. "The shots were 8-6 in favor of North, but we had chances. It was 1-0 and Jen Korngut hit a corner and Anna Brownschidle just missed one from the one-yard line. We could have tied it right there."
   The Cardinals were tied with Robbinsville 1-1 earlier in the season, but the Ravens scored twice in the second half and won 3-1.
   "You only play every team in the county once, we’re looking forward to playing them," Boggs said.