Sophie Kligler can put the ball where it needs to be even when she isn’t trying.
The Beacon junior midfielder dribbled a ball into the near corner and sent a swift cross into the box. The ball landed right at the feet of Alexandra Easton 8 yards from goal. The sophomore sent a chip over the head of Bard keeper Maya Osborne for the game’s first tally.
“I don’t know if I was exactly aiming for her, but I crossed it and she got a nice touch on it,” Kligler said.
The Blue Demons scored again less than a minute later when Jennifer Angione sent a cross from the far side to a cutting Elsa Hardy, who scored to the near post. Beacon never looked back and cruised to a 6-0 win over Bard in PSAL Manhattan A-II girls soccer at Central Park Tuesday. It won the first meeting, 2-0, and it was the team’s second straight lopsided win over a top league opponent.
“We play best when we spray the ball out wide and the wing midfielder can run in on the ball,” Hardy said. “We weren’t doing that very well. We got caught playing kick ball a lot.”
Beacon’s passing was precise, with four of the six goals coming on assists. Hardy dribbled between three defenders on the near side and sent a cross into the box that Angione put in off a deflection midway through the second half and Hardy found Tyler Sloan on a cross to make it 5-0 in the 62nd minute. Kligler scored twice on blasts from 25 yards. She placed the second just high enough that it tipped off the hands of Osborne before taking two short bounces into the net.
“We still have things to work out, but we are certainly a lot closer to where we should be,” Beacon coach Kevin Jacobs said.
The Raptors (4-3) had a chance to take an early lead, but star forward Mina Kobayashi’s breakaway shot to the near post was saved by Beacon keeper Polly Carr. The Blue Demons have had a few close games this season — one with Bard and a 2-0 win over Hunter earlier in the year, but last season’s city runner-up is beginning to hit its stride of late.
“We are starting to connect better and play with more fluidity,” Hardy said.
Jacobs said it has take time for personalities to emerge after the loss of sweeper Chelsea Davies, who was the team’s unquestioned leader last season. Jacobs said Beacon (7-0-0) has been more aggressive going after balls and could even improve in that area going forward.
“We are starting to mesh, which we had a hard time doing at the beginning of the season,” Kligler said. “This year we’ve all had to step up and take leadership. We have multiple leaders instead of just one.”