Girls soccer: Leon hat trick sparks Saints in shutout win over Burlington Central

Mya Leon knew St. Charles East was not playing its best soccer to start off Tuesday’s game.

Through the first 40 minutes of an eventual 4-0 win against Burlington Central, the Saints attempted tirelessly to put a shot into the back of the net to get the first advantage of the game.

But no matter what type of shot it was, the Saints couldn’t find the back of the net.

“I was definitely frustrated,” Leon said. “I felt like when I was going for a goal in the first half, I was just rushing and wasn’t in the right head space.”

But once one shot managed to sneak its way in, the scoring came in bunches. St. Charles East scored four goals in the second half in a span of 13 minutes, with Leon recording a hat trick in that span.

“This team is capable of just scoring in bunches, and they showed it in that second half,” Saints coach Vince DiNuzzo said. “Every year we play this game and it’s very difficult to come here for a noon game during spring break. I’m happy with the response in the second half, we just need to clean some things up in the first half.”

The Saints (6-0) recorded nine shots on goal before Leon made a pass into the box to find senior Anika Dodrill, who found the back of the net in the 57th minute.

The goal sparked Leon, who scored in the 62nd, 64th and 71st minutes to put the game out of reach.

“I think that once our offense starts working together, finding the gaps to play the ball through and communicating, we really connect well,” Leon said. “And after that, we tend to find the goal really easily.”

The sophomore, who had 34 goals as a freshman, is already up to 10 goals for the Saints this season. She’s recorded a goal in each of the Saints’ first six games, with her hat trick being her second of the season.

“We keep telling her that nobody wants you dribbling at them one-on-one in the final third of the pitch,” DiNuzzo said. “It’s an unsettling feeling for them, and she’s got to continue to take those opportunities rather than being passive. When she plays a little more direct, she finds some success.”

The Rocket (1-3) defense held strong for 55 minutes, limiting St. Charles East’s scoring chances. Louisiana Tech commit Kenzie Lorkowski also helped with the effort, finishing the game with 10 saves.

“We had a couple defenders down, so we had a lot of kids step up that don’t play in those positions,” Rockets coach Jess Arneson said. “That was a team effort, which was great to see, especially for the kids that haven’t really seen the field yet. And for 55 minutes, it worked. But at some point, the kids get tired.”

Sydney Batts had the Rockets’ only shot on goal, hitting the crossbar. St. Charles East goalkeeper Mia Olenek recovered the rebound for the save.

“If we managed to put one of those chances away, the same thing could have very easily happened for us,” Arneson said. “It’s just one of those types of games. There were a couple of good chances that we had.

“But we play these games against bigger schools and tough teams so we can figure out what works for us. We expect a lot of this tough play at the beginning of the year. They know it’s for a good purpose, and it’s hard to keep their heads up about it, but they do and I know I have a good team that way.”