November 7, 2011

Haley Durning (1) and her teammates celebrate Kearny's third-straight county title. (Photo: Jason Bernstein)

Bayonne vs St. Dominic Academy Girls Soccer Photo Gallery

HARRISON – Even with her scoring totals down from the previous three seasons, Kearny's Mercedes Lois hasn't been hesitant to keep firing shots when the opportunity arises.

With her Kardinal team in dire need of a goal, the timing for Lois to regain her scoring touch couldn't have been any better.

Lois broke a scoreless tie in the 29th minute when she launched a shot just under the crossbar from 45 yards out to help propel Kearny to its third-straight Hudson County championship in a 3-0 win over St. Dominic Academy.

"I just wanted to get one in," said Lois, who has five goals while playing a more defense-based role this year. "I was just shooting from wherever I could whenever I got the chance."

"She's got a powerful shot," said head coach Vincent Almeida. "Early on in the season she was inconsistent, but the last two and a half weeks  she's been playing well and taking some great shots."

Lois' goal, her first since Oct. 17, was a much-needed relief for top-seeded Kearny (20-3). After seeing the Kardinals' boys team upset in the semifinals less than an hour earlier, there was an elevated level of tension as Kearny continued to attack St. Dominic (12-6) without anything to show for it.

"(St. Dominic goalie Julie Lipyanka) was really good and we weren't playing to our fullest potential," Lois said. "We could have done a lot better in the first half and the fact that all of our shots weren't going in just added to why we were so  frustrated."

"It was such a relief because we were getting so nervous," said Ashleigh Amadeo. "It was a really good game and we were afraid that the outcome wasn't going to be what we expected. But then we scored and we got our hopes up and kept getting better."

With the way Lipyanka was playing in net for the third-seeded Blue Devils, those fears were justified. Lipyanka seemed to have an answer for every Kearny attack, regardless of location and shooter. The senior made 21 saves in a performance that often left players in disbelief.

"Some of the saves were unbelievable," St. Dominic coach Colette Lenaghan said. "She truly kept us in the game. This is a tough game for a goalie to be playing in when you're playing against a team with another level of talent."

Melissa Pineda would make it 2-0 in the 40th minute with a 30-yard strike just inside the left post for insurance and Amadeo iced the game when she scored on a rebound in the 65th minute.

"It's an amazing feeling, not just to win it once, but three times in a row," Amadeo said. "It's great. We worked so hard for this and it's paid off."

Haley Durning made one save in net to earn the shutout for Kearny. The Kardinals will be back in action today as it plays at top-seeded Livingston in the semifinals of NJSIAA North 1, Group IV tournament today at 2 p.m.

Senior Julie Lipyanka made 21 saves for St. Dominic Academy in defeat. (Photo: Jason Bernstein)

Bayonne vs St. Dominic Academy Girls Soccer Photo Gallery